


The Silence I Needed

by BringBackMaes14



Category: Ouran High School Host Club - All Media Types
Genre: Blackmail, F/M, Kendo, Kyoya is a smartass, Mori is an overprotective friend, Reader has a potty mouth, Sleepovers, Tamaki is a morning person and everyone hates it, and overprotective eventual lover, benio can be a good platonic friend, genderfluid Haruhi, regular host club shenanigans, so im only marking it as teen until that happens, the reader knows about Haruhi, there's probably gonna be at least a little smut later, transfer student
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-13
Updated: 2020-07-29
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:21:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 27
Words: 44,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22702378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BringBackMaes14/pseuds/BringBackMaes14
Summary: Third year student, (Y/N) (L/N), is a determined student. She's been working hard, but at her school, Lobelia Academy, the classes were too easy and, thanks to the Zuka Club, the noise level was at a max.Here, (Y/N) decided to transfer to Ouran Academy, a prestigious co-ed academy, for her last year of high school. She doesn't find the silence she needs after meeting the infamous Host Club, but she does end up finding someone she needs just as much.
Relationships: Mori/Reader, Takashi Morinozuka/reader
Comments: 35
Kudos: 218





	1. Run Out of Town

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N) has decided that Lobelia Girl's Academy is too much and not enough, all at once. Despite having to leave her best friend, Benio, behind, she's looking forward to a change of scenery involving a strong and silent mystery from Ouran Academy.

_“Lady Benibara!"_

_"Lady Benibara!"_

_That's all you ever hear at this no good love fest of a high school! It's all because of that damn Zuka Club! They're so annoying and have the entire academy melting in the palms of their hands._

Looking over at the clock, I sigh seeing as it's about lunchtime. I love breaks from classes as much as the next kid, but I doubt demon fangirls plague every school. All the girls in my class are shaking in their seats. I can see our teacher sweating in anticipation of all the lunch time casualties. I watch as the clock ticks toward the end of the class, and proceed to hide under my desk. With a deep breath, and a wave to my teacher who had the same idea I did, I made my way to the cafeteria.

There are a few hallways that can get you to the cafeteria, that are quicker, and less crowded. You only need to avoid the hallways that have red carpet laid out on them for the three monarchs of Lobelia. There’s the princesses: Hinako Tsuwabuki, and Chizuru Maihara. Then there’s my best friend, the queen: Benio Amakusa.

Don’t get me wrong, I despise the Zuka club. I adore Benio though, although not like any of the other girls at school. I love her, but like a sister. She is the only student at this godforsaken school with a sense of calm. Or a brain, for that matter. When I was a first year and she was in her last year of junior high, she’d hit on me relentlessly. She told me I was different and special because I wasn’t a mess like the other girls at my academy. _Nice to know someone else noticed._ I eventually gathered up the courage to tell her I liked her as a friend. I was in no way going to be playing any of her games. She seemed relieved to have someone who was actually a friend and not a follower. The rest is history.

I actually managed to get to the cafeteria before anyone else, which was a miracle. It was peaceful as I found myself a seat and opened up my lunch box. _Rice balls in the shape of hearts. Thanks Mom._ Mom always insisted on making my lunches, even though she messed up a lot. She claimed that the maids couldn’t do everything. She had to do something to stay connected and take care of me, so homemade lunches it was. I was halfway into it when I heard the clicking of heels, something only Zuka Club members were “allowed” to wear. “(Y/N)? Why do you insist on eating alone? You could spend time with me. You always avoid me at school.”

“Well, isn’t that the price of being popular, Benio? If I’m seen too close to you, I risk being hanged or eaten by the wolves out in the hallway. You know I would love to sit with you, but I just don’t fit in with that crowd. I couldn’t handle the pressure of being in or with the Zuka Club.” I sighed into my hands and gave the best smile I could muster.

Benio gasped and struck a dramatic pose. "Why, Darling! There is no way I’d let that happen to my dearest maiden! You should always have time for people. Without another's warmth, how can our hearts ache for what we want? And if not together how can you ever truly experience the emptiness that comes with lost love?" At the end of her spiel, she opened her eyes to look at me, and we both burst out laughing. Benio was too much sometimes and she knew it.

“Oh, Lady Benibara!” I got up from my table and fell back into her arms. She dipped me as I threw my head back dramatically. “Whatever shall I do? I am so deprived of your presence. How will I ever survive without your glowing godessness?” We continued laughing until we realized we had an audience. I almost fell on the floor trying to get out of her arms, and both our eyes were watery from laughing so hard.

I turned sheet white next to Benio. It looked like I was about to be cut up into pieces and shoved in the gutters. Instead, the cafeteria echoed with loud squeals. Benio grabbed me and pulled me close so she could whisper into my ear. “You should eat somewhere else. I wouldn’t want you to be uncomfortable.”

“Thanks, _Lady Benibara_.” I snickered pulling away from her, and ran away to an empty classroom with my lunchbox.

I got dreamy gazes and heated glares sent my way for the rest of the day. Oh, the pressure was on. I almost started panicking. I couldn’t focus on my classes, and it was getting harder to avoid the fangirls in the hallway. They were following me now. Some of them had cameras! _Is that even necessary!?_ By the last class of the day, there was only one thought running through my head: _I need to get the hell out of here._

At the last bell, I ran out the door faster than I’d ever run before. _I don’t run a lot though, so I don’t actually know how fast that is._ I reached my chauffeur, Lewis, and the limo in record time. Lewis seemed shocked to see me out of breath and hurriedly helped me into the car. ”You okay, Miss (Y/N)?”

I took a moment to catch my breath and huffed out, “Benio’s fangirls. You know how that is, Lewis.”

“Of course.” He laughed.

The ride home was short, and I caught Lewis checking on me through the rear view mirror several times. I jumped out of the limo almost before he’d come to a full stop in the driveway. “Thank you, Lewis! Same time tomorrow?” I chided. He tipped his hat in my direction while I walked up the front steps. Sophie, my other best friend and personal maid, met me at the door.

“How was school today, (Y/N)?” She took my school bag as she spoke.

“Exhausting. Where are Mom and Dad?”

“They are in your father’s study, meeting with a fine gentleman and his son. I believe they’re talking about you.”

“Thanks Sophie! See you later.” I slipped off my shoes and made my way to the study. I knocked on the door. _It’s my own house. Why do I have to knock? Etiquette is weird._.

“Is that you, (Y/N)? Please do come in, I have some people I’d like you to meet..” I stepped into the room and looked at the guests. The older man had piercing eyes and a sharp nose. He had neat hair and a goatee. His son had messy hair, and his eyes were calm and welcoming. I also noticed he was wearing black slacks with a blue blazer. I recognized it as the Ouran Academy boys' uniform.

“I am Akira Morinozuka, and this is my son, Takashi Morinozuka.” They both shook my hand, and I curtsied in return. I sat down in a chair across from them, and waited for someone to speak. “Now, Miss (Y/N), I understand you are a very skilled Kendoka, and that you are looking for a new dojo. I have spoken with your parents, and my son and I would be very happy to observe your skills and welcome you into our dojo.”

I tried my best to pay attention, but I spent most of the conversation nodding along distractedly. Takashi held my attention, only by sitting there. He smiled at me, and I blushed a little, realizing my ignorance and the fact that I’d been caught staring. I returned to attention at the sound of my father’s voice. “(Y/N), your mother and I believe it’s best if you changed schools. You need more advanced classes for your last year, and it would be closer to Mr. Morinozuka’s dojo. As of tomorrow, you will attend Ouran Academy, with Takashi as your guide.

I glanced toward the teen, and he nodded. "Please," he said, "Call me Mori."


	2. Hello Ouran, Goodbye Lobelia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Benio warns (Y/N) about the Host Club. (Y/N) starts at her new school and doesn't get what all the fuss is about.

I didn't know what to say. I was close to bursting with excitement, lunging out of my chair to hug my father faster than you could say Ouran. "Thank you, Dad! This is such a great opportunity. I'm so excited! I'll make sure you don't regret this decision." Once again, it was my father's voice that brought me to attention.

"(Y/N). Your manners." He cleared his throat as I let go of him. I turned towards the Morinozukas, and curtsied . _I can't believe what a ditz I was. Did I actually do that in front of the guests just now? Ugh... Kill me please._

"Please, forgive me. I got so excited about my new school and working with the two of you. It's- um... I don't know what came over me." Akira laughed dryly in response. He stood to take my hand in his. _Why do people always have to hold part of me when they're talking deep? It's called getting personal, not getting up close and personal._

"You are fine, young lady. I am also looking forward to seeing you at the dojo next week. You should save that wild, bubbly energy for then." _Oof definitely a bad first impression if he already called my energy wild. "_ It has been a pleasure meeting you all." He shook my hand once more before motioning to his son that it was time to leave. I followed them to the front entryway, as did Mom and Dad, to see them off. My new sensei went out the door with a quick nod in our direction. Mori made his way to me before leaving.

“I’ll be waiting for you at the front gate tomorrow. To show you around.” He smiled gently, and then he was gone. I stood for a moment, staring at the door where he had been. _This guy is going to change my life. I can already feel it. I guess I have the rest of the school year to see what that change is_. It was a nice thought. Sophie tapped my shoulder with a grin.

“I wanted to let you know that dinner is almost ready. Also, you and I are totally talking about what happened in there later tonight.” I grinned back at her and walked towards the dining room. Everything was all smiles until after our meal, when Sophie and I were chatting. We were gushing about Mori as she helped me get ready for bed. He’s tall and handsome. He seems gentle, stoic, and friendly. To top it all off, he comes from a good family and we already have common interests, like kendo. After five minutes of blushing, I was yawning and ready for bed.

“This is an early time for you to be tired, (Y/N). Was everything okay at school today?”

I shook my head. “I was stalked all day by the Zuka Club’s fangirls because they caught me goofing off with… Benio! Oh my god, Sophie! I’m leaving Lobelia! What about Benio? I need to tell her right now.” I teared up at the thought of leaving my best friend, and my hands shook as I dialed her number. She picked up immediately and realized I was upset. She told me happy, silly, ridiculous things until my tears had dried and I was laughing.

“Now, please tell me what has you all tied up in knots. I hate to see you like this. Or hear, I guess.”

I sniffled again. “You’re not gonna like it, Benio.” She remained silent, waiting for me to get it off my chest. “It’s a great opportunity for me, and I’m so sorry. I wasn’t even thinking when I said yes, about the consequences it may have for me and you. Today was my last day at Lobelia. My parents have transferred me over to Ouran Academy.” I heard a small gasp, and a quiet laugh. Benio sounded like she was trying to hide her own upset when she spoke.

“I’ll miss my sun in Lobelia’s sea of stars. We can still get together after school like usual, and I’m always a phone call away. I’ll give you one tip though: I don’t trust that host club, and I don’t think you should either.”

“Okay. Your trust has only led me wrong one of ten times. I’ll be careful. Goodnight Benio.” She replied with her own “goodnight”, and I set my phone back down on the nightstand. I crawled in bed and burrowed under the comforters. Sleep came over me, but so did questions. _Who was part of the Host Club? What was it? Why was Benio worried about it for me? I’ve only heard her mention them a few times._

When I woke up in the morning, I still felt kind of bad about leaving Benio, even though she said it was fine. It was a new day, though. I had things to look forward to. Aside from the gawdy yellow dress that was so frilly there was almost no way it came from a coed school. Sophie straightened out my dress for me, and she giggled at the sight of me. “Do I look like a twinkie? Because I definitely feel like a twinkie right now. I can’t believe I have to wear this.”

Sophie full on laughed at my comment while ushering me out the front door with my bag. “I’m sure you’ll fit right in.” I couldn’t stop fidgeting the whole way to my new high school. And sure enough when we arrived at the front gates, there was Mori, with a short blond riding on his shoulders. Lewis wished me good luck on my first day at Ouran Academy, and then he was driving away.

Mori started to make his way towards me, stumbling only when the blond scrambled down him and over to me. As he grew closer, I saw that he was very cute, with large brown eyes that were likely his scapegoat. He was short, almost shorter than a junior highschooler, and he carried a floppy pink bunny with him. He looked like a child, but his uniform said otherwise. “Hello there! I'm a third year: Mitsukuni Haninozuka, but everyone calls me Hunny. It’s nice to meet the girl that Takashi told me so much about.” I laughed at his statement, and laughed a little louder when I saw how Mori averted his eyes, focused on the ground. _How much could he have told Hunny? I only met him yesterday._

“Come on, (Y/N)!” Hunny grabbed my hand. “We have so much to show you.” I gulped in anticipation of this very new, very big, very _pink_ school. Mori came up, as if to test the waters, and grabbed my other hand, helping to lead me through the school. He held my hand tightly, tighter than Hunny, but his face stayed neutral. I had a feeling I’d be very distracted during the entirety of the tour.

There were a lot of grounds to cover, and the three of us almost didn’t make it to our first class. Hunny hopped up and down in his seat, waiting for me to sit down. “Did you like it (Y/N)-chan? Do you like it here?” He whispered to me. I nodded in reply, trying to be respectful of the fact that class was starting. “Good,” he continued, “because we saved the best for last. Right Takashi?” Looking Mori’s way, he silently agreed with Hunny, and I was left to wonder what “the best” was until the end of the day.

  
  
  



	3. Meeting the Host Club

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's after school and (Y/N) finally understands what all the fuss is about. She can't decide how to feel about the hosts. She just knows Benio has rubbed off on her. Also. (Y/N) uses no-no words in this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When the reader meets Haruhi, they think she's a she, so I start referring to Haruhi with she/her/hers pronouns. After the reader finds out that Haruhi doesn't care either way, I started writing Haruhi's pronouns as they/them/theirs.

When the final bell of the day rang, I was expecting to be dashed out of the room and to the "best place”. What actually happened was Hunny rushing out of the room on his own. Then Mori placed a note on my desk and left to follow Hunny. The note read “ _Join us in Music Room #3. It’s the best place in the school._ ” Great. So I knew where the surprise was, but I still had no clue what the surprise was. _Hence the word surprise, (Y/N)..._

I ended up getting lost in the expansive hallways. I found myself going up the stairs with a loud girl named Renge, who was happy to show me the way to the music room. I tried to ask her what the place was on the way up to it, but she smiled and zipped her lips. “You’ll have to see it for yourself.” She told me. I huffed in annoyance as we reached the door, and she flung them open.

There were rose petals. _Everywhere._

The room was beautifully decorated and full of people. Mostly girls and 1...2...3... six boys. One with dark hair and glasses walked up with a clipboard. “Renge, I see you’ve brought a new guest.” He bowed to me in greeting. “It is an honor to have you here. Might I ask which one of our fine young men you’d like to request?”

_Guest? Request? Girls outnumbering the boys, and surrounding Hunny and Mori? This is… They’re part of…_ “The Host Club. This is the Host Club, right?”

The glasses man tilted his head, giving me a look of confusion. “Of course. We have a total of seven hosts who you can choose from.”

I panicked for a moment, looking around for a safety net. Mori and Hunny were both swamped with girls. Renge was busy snuggling closer to this man's side. There was a setup closer to the windows with only four or five girls at it. _A safe space._ I pointed in the direction of that table. “I’d like to be at that table in the back.”

The man clicked his pen twice more than necessary. Then he wrote something down in the black notebook he was carrying. “So you prefer the natural type? Haruhi is a prime option for newcomers. He’s currently in the back taking a break from all the commotion, but he should be out in a few minutes. Please, allow me to seat you.” He led me to the table, where the girls were chattering about this Haruhi guy. They stopped almost as soon as we arrived. “Hello ladies. I’m so sorry to interrupt, but it seems we have a new guest in the Host Club. It would mean a great deal to me and the other hosts if you would make her as welcome as we do you.”

There was a chorus of “Of course, Kyoya” and he walked away. _So his name is Kyoya. He’s a mysterious one, and bad at introductions too. I should definitely keep an eye on him like Benio said._

One by one the girls around the table introduced themselves. Some of them announced that they were actually regulars of Haruhi’s. They asked me some questions, like if I was new to the school or only to the host club. They also asked why I chose Haruhi as my first host. I explained that it was because Mori seemed completely overrun, and that I didn’t want to trouble him. Two of the girls’ faces soured a little at my statement. Something about "host-hopping". _Whatever that is._ I ignored them and began to look around the room.

I knew Mori already, and I was right about Hunny using those puppy dog eyes of his to his advantage. Kyoya sat at a full table with his laptop. He seemed to give off “don’t bother me. I’m a workaholic” vibes, but there were still girls, like Renge, surrounding him and cooing about him and his work. A little ways over was a pair of identical twins. They were also gingers, which probably meant trouble. They were all over each other, and the girls were losing their minds over their display of “brotherly love”. I could see the appeal, but it was not my cup of tea. And in the middle of the room, lounging over a large sofa, was a blond. Unlike those twins, he was all over the girls. He was making promises that sounded like pathetic wet dreams.

Before I could look away, the blond’s eyes were locked onto mine, like some honing device for new girls. "Mommy dearest!" He yelled, causing Kyoya to look up. _Mommy?_

"What can I do for you, Daddy?" _What the actual fuck is going on here?_

"Why did you not tell me we had a new princess in our kingdom!?" No sooner had he said that, he lunged over the couch in my direction, grabbing my hand, spinning me, and dipping me. _This must be the prince that Benio told me about. This is too much. This is too close._ "Might I ask your name-"

I panicked. I used what I learned. And now the prince was in a headlock on the floor while I straddled his back. Most of the girls screamed. The twins came over and started cackling. "The boss got beaten by a girl. Way to go." The prince was flailing and screaming. I saw Mori and Hunny move my way with wide eyes. I could've sworn Kyoya was wearing an amused smirk before feigning indifference.

Mori placed a hand on my shoulder, trying to pull me back. He held his arm around me to keep me from attacking the prince again, when a new voice joined the fray. "Senpai, what are you doing on the floor? What's going on?" I knew that voice.

"Ah, Miss (L/N), it seems your host had arrived. Haruhi, this is our newest guest. Be sure to take good care of her."

Mori had almost released his grip on me, but I knew what was going on. I knew who that was. Haruhi Fujioka. That male uniform couldn't fool me. I yelled before I could stop myself, pointing in her direction. "YOU! YOU'RE-! MAIDEN!"

All the hosts dawned horrified looks, save for Kyoya. Mori slapped his hand over my mouth before I could say anything else, and he carried me to one of the back rooms.

Mori put me in a chair and the twins were holding me back. They struggled with their task until Mori put his hands over my shoulders again. I stopped worming around, but I was still agitated and kind of terrified of what was going to happen next. After a few minutes, the rest of the hosts filed in. _They must've had to clean up the mess I caused. Now I'm irritated and embarrassed._ The blond stepped forward, glaring at me. He gave Mori a questioning look, to which he just shrugged, and then ushered the twins away from my side. "What do you think you're doing!? Who are you?"

I opened my mouth to answer, but Kyoya interjected. "Miss (Y/N) (L/N) is the only daughter of the (L/N) family. Her father runs gold jewelleries across Japan, coined the Golden Pocketwatch. She’s going to be a new student at the Morinozuka Kendo Dojo. Miss (Y/N) is also a new transfer from St. Lobelia Girl’s Academy, where she was a follower of Lady Benibara.” He snapped his notebook closed, and I was fuming. _I don’t care what family he comes from, how much money he has, or how many girls are pining for him. This is a total invasion of privacy! He’s stalked me! But the thing that bothered me most…_

“You take that back you four-eyed snoop!” I started thrashing enough that Mori was having trouble keeping me in the chair. “Whatever! You know everything about me! But there is one thing you got wrong, and I will not let it slide: I will never, ever be one of “Lady Benibara’s” Zuka Club fangirls. She is my best friend. Fact check that, bitch.” Everyone was taken aback by my most recent outburst, and then I felt the hot tears running down my face.

Kyoya, ever the nurturer, spoke first. “You know, it isn’t very polite to use such language, and attack a prince in his own kingdom.”

“Well you know what, it isn’t very polite to stalk people. Or to grab them in a flirting manner without getting to know them first, either!!”

“Touché, Miss (L/N).” He pushed his glasses up with a malicious smirk. _He’s probably not even going to stop doing it. What a dick._

“Now, can I actually know your names, since you know all my baggage now?” I sniffled, and Haruhi handed me some tissues. They went around the room and introduced themselves, starting with Kyoya Ootori. He's a second year and vice president of the Host Club. _Vice president? He seems like he's the one holding the fort down._ The twins introduced themselves as the Hitachiin brothers. They’re first years in the same class as Haruhi. _I’m sure it will be so much fun trying to tell them apart. I’m even more sure they’ll actually have fun keeping me from finding out._ I already knew Mori and Hunny, so the prince stepped forward. There were lots of roses floating around him as he announced himself Tamaki Suoh. He's a second year and the president of the host club. Kyoya also felt the need to point out that he is also it’s resident prince. Then there was Haruhi Fujioka. The only things I knew were that she's a she, she's a "commoner", and her name.

She came over to the chair where I was sitting and held out her hand. “I’m Haruhi. I know this situation is confusing, and these idiots didn’t make it any easier to understand. I’m in debt with the host club, so I’m posing as a host to pay them back. Whatever gender you think of me as doesn't matter to me. I don’t think that kind of thing is all too important to define someone’s character. Could we please keep this a secret, though? That’d really mean a lot to me.” I shook their hand, and they gave me the warmest smile. I blushed. _Haruhi really is beautiful like Benio said, no gender required._

“Alright!” Tamaki clapped his hands together. “No more fighting today, okay?”

Fighting? I gasped loudly, startling Tamaki, and Mori who was still holding onto me. “Oh my god, Mori! What time is it? We’re gonna be late for our kendo meeting!” He let me go and I ran out to get my bag. I was almost out the door when I saw the twins and Tamaki lean into Mori and question, “We, huh?” And I blushed. _Yeah, “we”. That has a nice ring to it._

  
  



	4. Shinais and Shiny Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's (Y/N)'s first time at her new dojo, and she and Mori are going to have a match.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: I actually looked at kendo rules, terminology, and matches to make sure I could write the upcoming scene at the dojo accurately. I hope to write about it properly. Here are some things you should know so you can better understand what’s going on
> 
> It’s a barefoot sport with a lot of yelling. Getting hit by an opponent’s shinai shouldn’t hurt all that much unless they swing too hard. There are terms to yell based on where you hit your opponent. “Men” means head. “Tsuki” means a direct jab at the throat. “Kote” means forearms. “Do” means torso, or the body. Also, women play kendo too, and I don’t think men and women ever fight each other, but I’m making an exception so Mori and (Y/N) can have a match. Oh and also, the "hit terms" are meant to be yelled after making the hit so as to not warn your opponent. 
> 
> I’m done ranting now. Go back to enjoying my writing, please.

I ran out of the school to see Lewis waiting with the limo, ready to go. “Do we have a guest, Miss (Y/N)?” _Guest? What is-?_ I turned and saw Mori headed for the sidewalk with his own kendo bag.

“Yes, actually.” I near-yelled with embarrassment, grabbing Mori by the arm. “As long as it’s okay with you, Lewis.” He nodded towards me and then Mori. “This is Takashi Morinozuka. We’re classmates, and I also take lessons at his family’s kendo dojo now. Mori, this is my chauffeur, Lewis. He’s a riot.” They shook hands and then the two of us were sliding into the back of the limo. It was quiet for a minute or two. Like, an awkward uncomfortable quiet.

“Sorry about them.” I almost hadn’t heard him say it. His voice was so low, and I kind of wanted to hear it again.

“It’s okay Mori. You had nothing to do with it, and I think there was some fault on both sides. I made a real mess of things, didn’t I? I made a scene in the music room. Plus, I didn't pay any attention in my classes because I was thinking too much _about_ the music room. There's also Haruhi's secret, and I cried in front of you, and everyone else.” Mori only brought a hand up and ran his thumb across my cheek. _Shit. I’m crying again, aren’t I?_ I started fanning my face and taking deep breaths. There were too many feelings tying my stomach in knots. “I’m sorry you have to see me like this. I’m probably just as bad as one of your guests, getting emotional over you.” Mori blushed, brows raised, and I realized what I had said. “In front of you!” I laughed. “I meant to say, ‘in front of you ‘. Oh look here’s our stop. Better get inside and get changed. Bye Lewis!”

_Nice save, (L/N). Real smooth. At least I don’t have to see him again after this…”_

_Welp… I was wrong._ I had left the changing rooms to go to the women’s side of the dojo, and I heard worried whispers about the new girl. _A.K.A me._ One woman, college age from the looks of it, walked in my direction and removed her mask. “Hey newbie.”

“(Y/N).” I corrected.

“Right, I’m Sandra. Anyway, how good are you at this sport?”

“Pretty good. At least I like to think so.” I shrugged. “Why do you ask?”

Sandra leaned down closer to me, as if what she was about to tell me was something the room could never know. “Whenever there’s a new student, Mr. Morinozuka makes them challenge the best student at the end of the day. It's to get stats on them but the strongest one here is his son, Takashi. He’s apparently been doing this stuff since he was a little kid.”

I swelled at the thought of taking on Mori in a duel. I couldn’t tell if this feeling was a good or bad one. Sandra patted my back and left in response to the blank, awkward face I was making. _What’s there to worry about? It’s only a test. Against Mori. The dojo’s number one hottie kendoka. Wait… what? No. Yes? What did I just think?_

Practice was great. I loved getting my energy out like this and I love the feeling of the mat under my toes. I wondered what Mori was like in a duel. They're meant to be loud, but I haven't heard him say more than ten words since I met him yesterday. _Maybe he saves it all for kendo? Or kendo takes it out of him?_

And then an older woman stuck her head in the doorway claiming "It's time." I figured that meant my match with Mori. _Practice was short. Either that or I was stuck in my head as per usual._ In the main room, Mr. Morinozuka was standing, ready to make his announcement. Everyone else sat in a circle around him.

"Today we have great news: we have a new face among our ranks. That means a duel!" He raised his hands and the other kendoka cheered. "Takashi. Miss (L/N). Please step onto the taped lines in the center of the room."

We did as we instructed, and both of us received the required equipment. Akira held two flags at the ready. "Ready! Begin!"

I thought me being "in the zone" was cool, but Mori was amazing. He yelled at the top of his lungs and jumped forward, forcing me back. He had quite a few inches on me height-wise, so it made it hard to match my shinai up to his. I yelled back and tried to swing my shinai up over his head, but he blocked that too. We stood there for a few minutes glaring at each other. I could almost make out his face through his mask, but when I looked closer I saw that he was smiling. Not his usual gentle smile, though. I could tell he was very competitive when it came to kendo, and also that he was having fun. His smile softened, and I saw my opening. I lunged back and came around his side. "KOTE!!"

Our classmates applauded as Mori stepped back to his piece of tape and I went to mine. Mr. Morinozuka raised the red flag in his right hand, indicating that I had gotten a point for that round. The match started again as Akira nodded and the crowd quieted down. We yelled some more. This time I started with the offensive, but of course I attacked too fast and lost my footing. I fell to the ground and Mori reached out to help me up. I took his hand and hurried to stand. We went back to our tape pieces, and my opponent moved so fast I almost got hit. I swung myself around his back, but he turned and blocked the swing of my shinai. Another stalemate. And then he pushed my shinai away. “MEN!” I felt the knock against my helmet, and stepped back once again.

“This is a ‘best two out of three’ match! Whoever lands a correct hit in this next round is our dojo’s new champion.” Akira nodded in the direction of Mori and I. _How do you think Mr. Morinozuka would react if Mori lost?_

I readied my shinai for our final match, and Mori came at me first, again. He went for a direct jab at my throat, but I managed to slip under his movements and make a swing of my own. _He’s too aware. There’s no way I’m gonna win this._ Mori pushed hard enough against my shinai that he was pushing my arms back too. And then it was too late. “DO!” His shinai hit my side, most likely a little harder than he intended. I dropped my shinai, and held my side. It was only sore, but Mori was on his knees next to me almost immediately. He took his helmet off and his hair was kind of messy because of it. “(Y/N), are you okay? I didn’t mean to swing that hard.”

_He’s super pretty when he’s all sweaty and messed up…. OH MY GOD (Y/N) DON’T THINK ABOUT THAT! YOU’RE IN PUBLIC!_ I almost reached out to touch him, but brought my hand back to my side. “I’m okay. It happens. I’ll ice it when I get home. Really, Mori, don’t worry about it.”

I had almost forgotten we had an audience when Mr. Morinozuka cleared his throat. “Takashi Morinozuka is still our champion kendoka. But, my, Miss (Y/N). I’ve never seen anyone put up a fight like that against my son. You are turning out to be a valuable asset in my dojo.” Mori did a “grab your shoulder for attention, look into your eyes, and then hum with approval” thing like he did. After that we split to clean up for the night.

Sandra and a few other women caught up to me in the changing rooms. They congratulated me on the match, saying they were impressed. I smiled to myself as I finished changing. _That was a lot of fun, and I also think I made a big impact on the dojo._ When I had finished, Mori was waiting in the main room, leaning against one of the walls. “Let me give you a ride home.” Before I could interject he continued. “To pay you and Lewis back for earlier.”

I smiled and walked out of the building. The sun was setting and you could almost see the stars over the dojo. While I was admiring the sky, Mori had gotten up the nerve to hold my hand again. I was a little surprised, but when I looked his way, he was looking up at the sky too. I couldn’t tell if the red on his cheeks was him or the sunset, but I told myself it was the former. _It can’t hurt to dream._ The limo ride was like last time, where the first few minutes were awkward until Mori spoke up.

“You know, I think it’s cool that you can open up like you do.” I tried to look at him to express my shock, but he was looking out the window. That was the only thing he said to me the rest of the way home, and I thought about it for the rest of the night.


	5. The Sleepover: Part I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Haruhi asks (Y/N) to have a sleepover, so they can get to know each other better. The twins overhear, and it becomes a group affair.

As the days passed by, I got more comfortable with the Host Club. It seemed like I was always there, stuck almost, like it was the main setting of some book or show. Even with my progress, I stuck with Haruhi’s table. It was the least confined and least cringey table in the room. Currently, I’m actually alone with Haruhi.

“So (Y/N), you’ve survived two weeks at Ouran Academy. How are you feeling about it?” They laid out cups of coffee as they asked.

I had to think for a minute before answering. “It feels like I’ve been here longer than that. Of course this place is still foreign to me, and I _desperately_ miss Lobelia’s uniform.” I grabbed the hem of my skirt and sort of thrashed it around to prove my point. “I've come to understand you and all the other hosts a little better. So I guess not everything is completely foreign. I’ve learned that Mori and Hunny are cousins. Kyoya is an ass because of his family dynamics and the way his parents raised him. And the twins’ act might not actually be an act. You know though, Haruhi, I still don’t get Tamaki and Kyoya’s Mommy/Daddy act. Are they…..?”

Haruhi shrugged and smiled. “It sounds like you know a lot about almost every host.” I looked at them again, and realized all I knew were the basics for Haruhi. They are biologically a girl, and from a low income family. _Tamaki calls them commoners and I just think that's rude._ Haruhi is also an honor student, which is their ticket to Ouran Academy. “I’d love to get to know you better, (Y/N). How ‘bout a sleepover sometime?”

“I’d love to. Let's-”

“DID SOMEONE SAY SLEEPOVER!? Boss! Can we have a sleepover?”

_Shit._

Tamaki was standing on the couch in his “power pose”. “Hikaru! Kaoru! That is an amazing idea! But not for the club!” A lot of girls complained “awww” and “why not”. Tamaki shushed them all and, in all his charm, leaped off the couch to hold the closest girl. “It wouldn’t be right to spend the night together, lest things get out of control.” He winked at Haruhi and we both made gagging faces. All the girls were screaming and squealing about how chivalrous Tamaki was.

Soon enough, all the girls had filed out for the day. The three amigos were still going on about a sleepover for hosts only. Kyoya was already writing things down for it, and Hunny was starting to join in on the hyperactivity. “Uh, guys?” Everyone looked up to Haruhi from what they were doing. “I don’t think my dad will allow it. He’s wary enough of Senpai as it is. I don’t think he’d ever allow me to spend the night with him and the other hosts without any supervision. Or other girls for that matter.”

Tamaki was very distraught over not having a sleepover with “Daddy’s little princess”. Then Mori, of all people, spoke up. “What if (Y/N) came?”

_I hadn’t even thought of the possibility I was only helping clean up. I’m not a host. I'm not a part of this. I guess I was one of the initial two people who started the sleepover talk, though. I still haven’t given Haruhi a definite yes or no answer._ I heaved a little at the thought of sleeping in the same vicinity as Mori, let alone five other guys. Shoving my anxiety down, I turned to the group. “Yeah, I guess I could join in. I, uh, I have a rule, though.” I tapped my fingers together, trying to calm myself a little, and Haruhi put their hand on my shoulder to reassure me. Something I’m used to getting from Mori. “We have to do it at my house. If I have to get dragged into this, we’re doing it on my turf. And that way, you won’t have to use host funds either. My family can provide everything.”

The boys shrugged and gave “okay” answers. “That seems like a wonderfully fair idea.” Kyoya said, using that fake smile of his. “However, I will not be joining you, I don't take kindly to waking up early. Or to other people like you three idiots, for that matter.” They all shrunk back as if Kyoya was some kind of non-morning demon king or something. _I’m okay with him not coming. There's a high chance he already has hidden cameras in my house. I don’t want to give him any more chances to pull anything._

“So it’s settled!” Tamaki yelled, hand raised in the air. “Tonight, we will meet at eight sharp at (Y/N)-senpai's house!” Haruhi half-laughed half-cringed and gave me an apologetic look.

I rushed out of the academy, almost forgetting my things. “Lewis! We have to hurry home! Like, actually hurry! We have company tonight.” He tipped his hat and gave a look like he knew what I was talking about. When I got home, I told Sophie and my parents about the whole ordeal. When they asked who would be coming, they seemed excited about Mori coming. _Maybe it’s one of those ‘parents enjoy knowing their kids’ friends and being a part of their lives’ things'_. They revered that I was getting along and getting to know people at Ouran Academy. They said it'd be an honor to have them over.

_3 hours._ Sophie and I chose the upstairs lounge to set everything up in. We found plenty of futons and spread them out like a giant mat across the floor. Then Sophie and I, like when we were little, moved the furniture and built a pillow and blanket fort over half of the mat.

_2 hours._ I decided that snack foods were best for a sleepover and ate a light dinner with my parents. Afterwards, I talked with Mickey and Lindsey (our head chefs) about the things we could make. They needed to be simple enough. I also opted to have some snacks that Haruhi would enjoy more. We ended up with oven made s’mores and giant pretzels. There were fruit kabobs and two sushi trays, one of which was reserved for Haruhi; it was loaded with fancy tuna. .

_1 hour. What pajamas do I pick?_ I’ve never seen them in anything but their Ouran uniforms (and Mori in his kendo gear). What does Haruhi wear to bed? Do the guys sleep shirtless? Should I go with what’s comfortable in, what’s cute, or what most resembles my big poofy school uniform? Sophie could answer none of these questions. It bothered me even though I knew she couldn’t have had answers to any of them. “(Y/N), I think you should wear whatever you’re most comfortable in. If you’re most comfortable wearing a common t-shirt and your underwear, that’s up to you.” I knew she was teasing me, but my face still went completely red at the thought of wearing that in front of the Host Club. Or anyone for that matter.

“Sophie! You aren’t helping! I’m going to be even more indecisive now, and I’ve only got… 10 minutes until they get here!?” I grabbed what was closest to me: a kendo t-shirt that was too big for me, and a pair of black short shorts. The doorbell rang and I was running through the house, yelling “I got it! I got it!” One of the other maids had already gotten it by the time I made it to the front door. “Hi guys!” They were all already dressed in their pajamas, except for Haruhi, who was holding a nightgown in one hand.

“Do you have anything less frilly that I can borrow?”

I nodded to them and started racing up the stairs with them behind me. “Jenny, please let the boys in but keep them there. We’ll be right back.” The maid nodded her head and shut the door after the boys walked in.

“Your parents must be laid back to allow a sleepover with a bunch of boys.” Haruhi noted while Sophie looked for some clothes for her.

“Eh. They’re just happy that I have more friends than Benio now. She kinda weirds them out, but we’ve been inseparable since we met, so Mom and Dad kind of have to deal with it.” 

“I guess I can understand that.” The three of us laughed and finished getting Haruhi ready.

Haruhi wore an off-shoulder shirt with the initials of some American band “MCR” and navy yoga pants. “Alright, everybody! Please follow Sophie!” Through the halls, I heard "wows" or "our bathroom is bigger than this's" and a quiet "Takashi, look at that!" Sophie laughed at them all, and Haruhi and I joined her.

When we reached the lounge, everyone dispersed to look at what they pleased. Hunny dragged Mori under the fort, and he looked surprised that he actually fit. (Sophie and I knew he was very tall and took extra precautions.) Haruhi saw the snack bar and got all excited about the fancy tuna that the host club had apparently only teased her with. Tamaki and the twins went to the center of the room to inspect the circle of futons on the floor. The twins made a face saying “you’re actually going to make us sleep on the floor?” and I smirked at them. Then Tamaki sharply pointed at the two mats beneath him.

“I will be sleeping here! And my princess will sleep next to me, here. For safety reasons.” He mumbled the last part. Everyone rolled their eyes at him.

“Actually, (Y/N), er, I mean Miss (Y/N) has designed a floor plan _(haha, puns)_ for this exact problem. See here.” I had set it up so everything was in the best conditions for Haruhi and I. I started at the top of the circle. Going clockwise, the order was: Haruhi, Hunny, Tamaki, Hikaru and Kaoru, then Mori on my other side. _That’s not what…. Sophie switched the placement of Mori and Hunny’s futons!_ She must’ve realized I found out because she started laughing, startling the others in the room, and left. “Please call for me if you need anything!”

_Great. That’s… I’ll make it work._


	6. The Sleepover Part II

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The actual sleepover where shenanigans come with snacks and little sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to go “Hey, this isn’t me going oc with a character”, this is from Mori’s page on the Ouran Fandom Wiki:
> 
> “He is extremely well-respected and well-liked by everyone who knows him; however, when tired, he can become talkative and somewhat flirtatious, which surprises those unaccustomed to this side of his personality.”

The night started out pretty calm. Haruhi was looking forward to finally trying fancy tuna. Tamaki looked forward to gushing over “his adorable little girl”. He was right though: they did look pretty cute when they were enjoying something. Hunny ate all the s'mores by himself. “Hey (Y/N)-chan! Are there any more of these? They were super yummy.” I’d prepared for Hunny’s sweet tooth.  _ One can only hope we prepared enough. They’ve only been here for half an hour and he’s cleared a tray. _

I nodded and called for Sophie to get more. Soon Hunny was happy and sticky once more. He was trying to offer one of the melting treats to Haruhi who apparently doesn’t have a huge sweet tooth. “Does anyone wanna play a game?” They offered, reaching into their bag. “I brought LIFE.” And of course everyone wanted to play, but no one knew what it was. I was lucky enough to actually be friends with Sophie, so she showed me lots of different games growing up.

Haruhi explained the game. Then Tamaki cried that it wasn’t fair that he couldn’t put his blue piece in the same car as Haruhi’s pink piece. “But those idiots get to share a car! Why can’t I share one with my little girl!?”

Haruhi muttered “Because I don’t want you in my car.” I swore I saw an arrow marked “unwanted” impale Tamaki’s chest.

As the game went on, all kinds of shenanigans ensued. Tamaki landed on almost every tax spot. The twins were treating the stocks and spinner like Russian Roulette. Mori actually had to get a second car because of all the kids he ended up having. Haruhi had the most money. They actually laughed at Tamaki when he complained about being bankrupt. Somehow, by the end though, Hunny ended up with the most money.

Then, the inevitable. “We’re bored now.” The twins sat rocking in unison for a minute, then looked around with malicious intent. “How about Truth or Dare? It’ll be fun.”  _ This is definitely going to end badly. _

“I’m in!”

“Me too!” Hunny yelled. “Takashi?” Mori nodded and hummed, like he usually did.

Haruhi tried to get out of it, but Tamaki used his puppy eyes and Haruhi was sitting back down next to me in the circle. “I’ll start.” Kaoru started. “Hunny-senpai, Truth or Dare?” Hunny chose truth. That poor boy. “Okay senpai, tell me who you love more: Usa-chan or Mori-senpai?”

I could see the gears turning in Hunny’s head. “Takashi! Wait. Usa-chan! But. I! Takashi what do I do?” Honey started crying in Mori’s arms. He shouted two questions later that his answer was Mori.  _ If I was Mori, I wouldn’t know how to feel about how long it took to decide between him and a bunny. _

After that Tamaki almost admitted his feelings for Haruhi. Hikaru had to make my old maid, Jenny, blush (he was unsuccessful, and did get smacked). Then Haruhi had to eat a s’more (courtesy of Hunny). Then it was Tamaki’s turn. He kept asking lovey dovey questions. To Haruhi. mostly. And if she chose dare, he dared her to tell him things.  _ What a waste of opportunity. He’s a real dummy that Tamaki. _

“(L/N)-senpai!” He called out.  _ This spells trouble for me.  _ “Truth! Or Dare!?”  _ Just pick dare. He isn’t good at those. _

“Um… Dare?”

“I dare you to sit in Mori-senpai’s lap for the duration of the next five questions.”  _ Oh shit oh shit oh shit oh no.  _ Haruhi gave me a sympathetic look as I scooched my way between his legs.  _ Haruhi is the only one who knows, right!? They’d never tell anyone, right?  _ Mori seemed somewhat indifferent about the whole thing. Hunny laughed innocently.

“Sitting in Takashi’s lap is fun, right (Y/N)-chan? It’s like a warm hug!” The twins were laughing behind their hands with tears pricking their eyes. Tamaki looked very pleased with himself. I looked up at Mori and he looked down at me, and then Sophie walked in with more s’mores and looked at us. _ Yep. This is how I’m going to die. In the lap of a guy I like while my maid is scraping marshmallows off the floor because she dropped a tray in shock. _

“I promise not to tell your father, but I am telling Lewis.” Sophie snickered as she made her way back out the door. The twins were laughing even harder now, and I’m sure I looked like one of Tamaki’s roses at this point.

“This is ridiculous. Kaoru! Truth or Dare.” And the game went on. It was when the clock struck two that I realized we’d long passed our five questions. Mori’s eyes looked tired. His arms wrapped tight around me, though, and he was resting his chin on my head. Hunny had passed out on his futon with three pillows piled on top of his little body. Haruhi was only still awake to avoid someone(s) doing something to her if she fell asleep first.  _ Fair.  _ “Hey, Mori.” I poked at his hand. “How ya feeling?”

“Tired.” He yawned. “But going to bed would mean I’d have to let go of you. I don’t want to do that yet.” The people still awake gawked at us like we had three heads.  _ I wasn’t the only one who heard that. Good. There were witnesses to the fact that he might like me back. Or at least likes being with me. _

“Did Mori-senpai just flirt with a girl using words?” Kaoru asked.

“Who wouldn’t want to keep a pretty girl like her in their arms as long as possible?” Mori answered, surprising everyone.

“Boss!” The twins whisper yelled, while violently shaking Tamaki. “He’s talking like you do! Is he broken?”

It was weird to me too, but I was enjoying the treatment too much to care.  _ Who knows how long this will last. _

“Takashi is fine.” Hunny grumbled from under his pillows. The trio froze in fear, realizing they’d woken Hunny up. “He gets like this when he’s sleepy.”

“Well if that’s the case,” Haruhi muttered, “it’s probably time for lights out. For everyone.” She shot a look back at Tamaki and the twins that I couldn’t see, but they got her point. Mori hummed and unraveled himself from around me. I moved away and got to my own futon, not breaking eye contact with Mori the whole time.

“Goodnight everyone.” Everyone else replied the same as I did, but I could’ve sworn Mori whispered my name after goodnight.

I had pleasant, cliché dreams of being in Mori’s arms, kissing him, and those too-many-kids he had in LIFE. When I woke up, it was about eight-thirty, and everyone was still asleep. Haruhi laid tucked and snug in her futon all nice and neat, except for Hunny who had cuddled into her side like a cat. The twins ended up rolled up in one futon, and Tamaki had sprawled across the neglected one and his own. And like pretty much everyone else, I was not on my own futon. No, I was on Mori’s. And it gets better because I wasn’t  _ just _ on his futon, I was on him. It was like last night, where his arms were around me, tight like he didn’t want to let me go, but still comfortable.

_ Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucccckkkk. How am I going to get out of this!? If I move, he’ll wake up. But if I don’t move, and he wakes up and sees that I decided to stay where I am, what’ll he think of me then!? And what if one of the others wakes up and sees!?  _ Then, to top it all off, Sophie comes in to wake us up. Then she leaves and comes back in with Jenny and Rita,  _ Goddamnit Sophie.  _ I mouthed “help me” and she laughed behind her hand and shrugged.

I was on my own. So I gave into the warmth. I laid my head back down on my chest and closed my eyes, listening to his heartbeat. And then his hand moved up to rest on my head.  _ Is he doing this in his sleep? Please tell me he’s doing this in his sleep. If he’s awake and toying with me, so help me I am going to break a shinai over his ass at our next practice. _

Apparently Sophie did actually plan to help. She came back into the room banging a wooden spoon on a pot like we were sleeping in a soup kitchen. It worked though. Everyone woke with such a start that no one saw anything when I slid off Mori and onto my own futon.  _ Let’s hope Mori was asleep enough to only register the movement as his blanket and not me. _

“What the heck, (Y/N)-senpai!” Kaoru yelled over the clanging.

“Do your maids always wake you like this!?” Hikaru asked from under his pillow.

I laughed and waved my hand at Sophie. I mouthed “thank you” to her, and she gave me a look that said “we’ll talk about this later.” Everyone was up and moving after the ringing had gone from their ears. That is, except for Hunny who had burrowed further under all the futons.

“I’ll call this first Host Sleepover a success!” Tamaki announced, throwing his pillow into the air.  _ Great. He isn’t just annoying, he’s also a morning person. That means he’s double annoying.  _ Everyone started collecting their things, while Jenny started calling up the limos.

“Hey, Haruhi.” I motioned her over and whispered. “I am so calling you later today. Something happened last night.” Her eyes went wide and I blushed and shook my head. “No! Not something like that!” I’m sure that there was steam coming from my ears, but no one seemed to notice as they filed out the door. I rushed to see them off, and Mori grabbed my hand.

“Sorry about that.”


	7. Party's Over, Time to Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N) needs closure after her time with Mori at the sleepover

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just another “I’m following the character’s actual personality” thing, brought to you by the Ouran Fandom Wiki. “As a Host, he is considered the "Wild" type in the manga and the "Strong-Silent" type in the anime.”

I spent the rest of the weekend with nothing but questions on my mind. _Sorry? What exactly is he sorry for? He was awake when he was holding me during game time, but I could’ve moved at any time. Is he apologizing for that? Or does he know about how we ended up? Did he figure it out? Was he awake too and we both pretended to be asleep if only to stay there a little longer? And most recently:_

“What the fuck? What does it all mean, Sophie?!” It’s been almost two days and she’s still laughing at me. Most of what she’s been doing is listening to me go off. I’ve just been spouting bunches of questions I know she won’t be able to answer.

Haruhi isn’t much help either. On top of that, I still hadn’t worked up the courage to tell Benio. “You’re crushing on one of those insensitive, uneducated, unattractive heathens that calls themselves a host. Really now?” is what she’d most likely say. Something along those lines. _But what do you know, Benio? You don’t even know them that well._

“I’m not sure what to tell you, (Y/N). I do have one question for you, though: what do you _want_ to happen?” Sophie had a point. I hadn’t really thought about it. Well, I _had_ thought about it, I just tried not to because I didn’t like making a fool of myself. Sophie could without a doubt see the gears turning in my head and the redness brushing my cheeks. “(Y/N), talk to him!” She laughed. “You don’t even have to talk about your feelings. Ask him if he had fun at the sleepover! Who knows, you might get to see him blush, if he remembers what he did.” _She’s right. I hope._

By my last class the next day, I still hadn’t been able to catch his attention. _Is he avoiding me!?_ I had brought it up with Hunny on our way to the Music Room, but he only shrugged. “Who knows? According to Kyo-chan and Tama-chan, Takashi is a bit of a wild man. So, there’s no telling where he is or what he’s doing, (Y/N)-chan. I haven’t seen him a lot either.” _Okay, avoiding me is one thing, but avoiding Hunny? Is he afraid of spilling his guts? Perhaps… Interesting._

When we got to the Music Room, Hunny and I parted ways. He wished Takashi and I luck with whatever we were going through. He winked at me when he said it. _HE WINKED!? DOES HE ACTUALLY KNOW??? WHAT DOES HE KNOW????_ Kyoya met up with me at the door and asked if I’d be seeing Haruhi again. I shook my head and requested Mori instead. “Ah, so things are progressing smoothly, I take it? Very good.” He started writing in his notebook and I rolled my eyes. _Why am I not surprised…_

I made my way over to Mori’s area. He was sitting at a table near Hunny’s set up. He was always near Hunny, keeping an eye on him. _How sweet._ When I reached the table and the girls all huddled around it, Mori stood and turned in my direction. “Welcome.” He bowed his head, almost like at the beginning of a kendo match. Then he winked at me. I knew that wink. That was a “play along” wink. I looked around at the girls that were screaming with heart-eyes at his welcome. _I see. The rage of a hundred jealous fangirls could kill a woman. Exactly like Lobelia._ I pulled my best shy pouty face and looked up at him.

“It-It’s nice to be here.” I whispered. “I’m kind of new and you looked so nice. I just had to come see you. Um… Mori-kun, are you okay?” I grinned a little. _Ooh, this is fun. I could probably do a lot with this._ Whatever you wanted to call the act I was pulling, it threw him off guard. He stared with surprised eyes and a faint blush across his cheeks as he stepped backwards. He ended up slipping on a… banana peel? _Where the hell did that come from?_ Nevertheless, I was having fun with my “playing along” skills, and intended to keep going. I got down on my knees next to some of the other girls to check on him. “Are you okay, Mori-kun? Are you hurt? I couldn’t stand it if something bad happened to you; I mean, I couldn’t live with myself!” I fakely wept into another girl’s shoulder, and she comforted me. _I like this. This is so much fun._

Mori got up after that little display of mine. “I’m fine.” _Yeah, fine. But flustered. I can work with that._ Hunny hopped over from his lounge area and onto Mori’s shoulders.

“That was quite the fall. Are you okay, Takashi?” He nodded. “And you pretty ladies? Are you okay too?” _Damn that smile of his._ All the girls whined about his cuteness, and he climbed back off Mori to go back to his area. I learned early on that Haruhi was the only host you could hold a real conversation with. It’s doable but harder to do with the twins and Hunny. Kyoya talks to the girls, but only when it benefits him or the club. Tamaki kind of talks _at_ the girls, and they… let him, I guess. As for Mori, I would say I know him at least a little better than any of these other girls. He’s very quiet. He only talks when he thinks it necessary. When he does speak though, it’s meaningful, or kind. I love his voice. _It kind of wrecks me sometimes._

So I sat there, just being quiet, while the other girls got almost nowhere with anything but yes or no questions. I watched out the window, waiting for something interesting to happen. After the girls had started talking amongst themselves, and had lost Mori’s attention, I waved at him. He smiled, and I whispered. “We gotta get to kendo.” As of the past week, Mori and I rode together to kendo. (It’s something that public school attendees called “carpooling”). I left the table, pulling my cute act again in front of the girls. “I hope I can be your guest again tomorrow, Mori-kun.” He held his cool and nodded with that charming smile. I then ran off embarrassed like the fangirl I had become. I was proud, but very, very embarrassed.

A few minutes later, Mori met me out at the front of the school with his kendo bag. We had to leave a few minutes apart so we didn’t alert any guests that we’d be together after club too. _Not that anything is going to happen._ The ride to kendo was pretty quiet, aside from the infuriatingly loud blush on my face. _I need something to break the silence. I have to ask him. Anything. Anything at all._ It was no good, and soon enough we were in the dojo. _After practice. I’ll get him after practice._

When class ended at the show of the moon, I told Mori’s driver, Charley, that he could go home. Mori would be walking me home. His surprise was expected, so I pulled a wad of cash out of my bag and he was off. When Mori came outside, he was, of course, shocked, but I wasn’t cutting corners this time. “Walk me home?” I meant it to be a demand, but my nerves got the better of me and it came out a shy question. He nodded, though. _Good. I’ve got about 10 minutes to make my case.._

“I never got the chance to ask, Mori: did you enjoy the sleepover?” His shoulders visibly stiffened and I continued, more confident than before. “I guess for the night, I was your host. It was my first time hosting a sleepover, and I had so much fun. I thought I’d miss my bed though, but those futons turned out to be super comfortable to sleep on. Right?” I smirked at him and he looked like he’d been shot.

“You-” I thought he was going to fess up to knowing something, but he changed the subject. Kind of. “You were cute today. Your mimic was great.” _Mimic?_ Now it was my turn to look shocked, but he continued, looking away from me. “Mitsukuni tells me I reach out a lot in my sleep. I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable that night. I woke up and you were there asleep so I let you be…” He looked like the amount of words he was saying was suffocating. So I mustered my final amount of courage and took his hand.

“Takashi, can I kiss you?” Whether it was the use of his given name or the question itself, he definitely malfunctioned. He looked like he was experiencing too many emotions and thoughts at once for his poor stoic mind to handle. I let go of his hand and continued walking to my house, leaving him a little ways behind me.

“Wait.” He huffed, coming up and grabbing my hand again. “Yes.” He bent over to meet me in the kiss. _My first kiss. Our first kiss._ I loved the feeling of his lips against my own. And maybe I was foolish. Maybe this was going to get us into trouble. But there on the sidewalk under the moon was where I wanted to be. There on the sidewalk under the moon, in his arms.


	8. Girl Talk: Fun and Forced

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After having finally kissed, (Y/N) just has to tell her closest friends. And other people find out too.

Mori walked me the rest of the way with his hand tightly around my own.  _ I can’t believe I did that and it didn’t backfire on me.  _ He released me a little before we reached the front walkway. “You know, I can ask Lewis to give you a ride back home.”

“No. I want to walk home. I need to think about some things.” I blushed a little.  _ I’m things!  _ Sophie was waiting for me at the front door when we got there, obviously trying to hide a grin. “You did great during practice today. Goodnight (Y/N). Sophie.” He bowed his head and had the same old “naturally cooler than you” smile of his as he walked away. I pushed through the door, rushing to drop my bag with Sophie, and went to my room to call Benio. She was going to hate this and it was going to be  _ hilarious. _

When she picked up, I came straight out with the news. “Benio! I had my first kiss!”

She screamed happily on the other end, but I heard her falter at the end. “Please don’t tell me it was one of those mirror-obsessed pigs in cosplay.”

“Okay. I won’t.”

“Oh, darling!”  _ Here we go. I wish I had popcorn.  _ “Of all the ways you could have betrayed me, leaving my side was not enough for you? Which one is it? They’re all despicable. I suppose those twins play on same sex like the zuka club does, but they’re brothers. You aren’t dating both of them!? No! Please, let it be the tall one. The one who is quiet and indifferent, and supposedly loyal to that cake loving misconception.”

“Bingo. Although, I don’t know if you would call what we have ‘dating’.” I told her about how much time we spend together between school and kendo. There’s also the events of the sleepover. Then I told her how I confronted him and initiated the kiss only about twenty minutes before. She was very proud of me for the last part. It’s always good to keep men on their toes.  _ That’s a notion I can get behind. And enjoy _ .

“It sounds like you two have some thinking to do. How will his ‘guests’ react?” I thought about it for a minute.

“You know, we aren’t anything super serious right now. If he wants to stay a host and date me, I’m not a super jealous girl.” Benio was silent and I could tell she was making her “are you shitting me?” face. “Okay!” I corrected myself. “I’ll be a little jealous, but I like him a lot, Benio. Like,  _ a lot _ a lot. And… I have a feeling that he thinks the same thing about me. So, continue to think the hosts are worthless insects undeserving of the opposite sex or whatever you call them. Do it on your own time, though. Be supportive of us. For me. Please.”

She let out an exasperated sigh on the other end, but it was a sigh of defeat. I thanked her and said goodnight, plugging my phone up on my nightstand.  _ Now for the next order of business.  _ “Sophie, you can come in now. I know you’ve been out there the whole time.” She came in and almost slammed the door behind herself. She was grinning and jumping around like Hunny when there was a new strawberry cake delivery.

“I heard everything with Benio.”  _ I know.  _ “And I saw the kiss!”  _ Wait, what? How?  _ “Where did you learn to kiss like that?”  _ I have no idea what you’re talking about.  _ “I have pictures!” Sure, enough, in her hand, was a picture of me kissing Mori, and one of Mori and I holding hands. “When Charley called and said Mori would be walking you home, I had Lewis go out and do some scavenging.”  _ Stalking. That’s called stalking, Sophie. Dear god, woman, we need to get you a boyfriend or something. I wonder if I could set her up with Mickey, the head chef. Or better yet, Lewis. Later though. _

“Sophie, you’re like an older sister to me. I love you. But as one of your bosses, I have the right to say that I can not allow you to have those pictures. Hand ‘em over.” She made a pouty face, and gave them to me. I shoved them under my pillow for the time being.  _ I’ll find a safer place for them later. _

The next day, at school, I spent most of my time smiling at Mori. He smiled back a lot too. When it came time for club, I just had to tell Haruhi, so I waved at Mori and pointed to their table. He nodded and the girls around him whipped around to see who he was ignoring them for, but I was already across the room. Haruhi and I had come up with a method so I could talk to her at school about Mori incognito.  _ I don’t want to be eaten alive by crazed fangirls.  _ Our solution: I use a nom de plume and call him Lewis instead.  _ Ew.  _ No one knows who Lewis is, but he isn’t a host, so it doesn’t matter to them.

When I got to the table, out of breath, I exclaimed to Haruhi that Lewis and I finally kissed. They went slack jawed, but they said they were happy for me, too. The girls around the table were suddenly very interested in our conversation and who Lewis was. I explained how he was the guy that I liked, and that he was the reason I was host-hopping between Haruhi and Mori. Haruhi was best with positive advice, but Lewis is a lot like Mori personality-wise. I hopped to him to try to get a better idea of how to be with Lewis. “I know host-hopping is bad,” I pretended to tear up, “but I wanted to make sure I was doing my best for Lewis.”

All the girls at the table screamed and cried about how romantic that was. They told me that they finally understood my host-hopping. All their noise caught the attention of quite a few girls, and some of the hosts as well. “Might I ask what has made all you wonderful young ladies so excited?” Tamaki looked around our table, seeing quite a few of us blushing.

“(Y/N) is in love! Isn’t that wonderful, Tamaki?” One girl spouted.

“Lewis sounds like a wonderful guy, I’m so happy for you.”

“Wait,” The twins interjected, “Lewis your-”

“Hey, Hikaru, Kaoru, why don’t we go play a game?” Haruhi grabbed them both by their shirt collars and dragged them off to another corner of the room. Tamaki followed after, saying he wanted to play a game, too.

“What were the twins trying to say, (Y/N)?”

_ Uh… Shit. Think. Quick. What is “Lewis” to me?  _ “Lewis is one of my kendo partners. I don’t like telling people that I do kendo because I know it isn’t very ladylike. Mori actually introduced me to Lewis at the dojo. But that’s why we worried about the twins saying something. I’m shy about it. I don’t want people to think I’m this masculine fighting machine.”  _ Bullshit. I love dominating and holding power over people.  _ The girls seemed to understand better after that.

At the end of the day, Kyoya stopped me by the door. “I must say, I’m very impressed with your coverup skills. I must say though, that the real Lewis is quite the photographer.”  _ Oh no. How… when… that isn’t even possible. Is it? _

He fanned out the photos, to prove that he had them. As I was the only guest left and Kyoya was holding me up, the rest of the hosts came over to see what was going on. Hence… they all saw the pictures. When Mori saw, he went from his usual calm and loose to stiff as a statue.

“Wow, Mori-senpai. I didn’t know you had it in you to start a kiss like that. Naughty, naughty.” The twins were only teasing him, but he was melting from embarrassment.

“I don’t.” He pointed at me, trying to take some of the attention off of himself.

“My my, senpai. Seems as if you’ve picked up a feisty one. You’re lucky, but you’re still a host. It’d be a shame if these were to leak to the girls in the club.”

Mori was suddenly up and out of his chair, pulling me into his arms. “You wouldn’t.”

“Ah, but I’m always one for opportunities. No matter how they come.”  _ Fuck you, shadow king.  _ “Miss (Y/N), I have a job for you.” I turned to hide in Mori’s arms, dreading what was coming next. “It is time for you to return to St. Lobelia. We never know when they might show up again, and it’s always good to be prepared. As you mentioned about five chapters ago, Lady Benibara is your best friend. I'm sure you can squeeze some information out of her. As soon as we have the information we need, the photos will be yours.”

“Can you promise that no copies are being made so you can’t blackmail me again later?”

“Miss (Y/N), as a businessman, I never make promises I can’t keep. I will say yes, though, if it will make you feel better.”  _ What an ass… _

“Kyoya…” Mori had moved away from me to fist his hand in the front of his shirt. “No copies.” Everyone was trying to and also hesitant to hold Mori back, but I thought him threatening Kyoya was kind of sweet. He may have been defending his image, but there was also a chance that he was defending me, and that felt nice.

“Fine. I suppose it is our mission to make every girl happy. You’ve got that taken care of, I’m sure, but if no copies is what it takes, so be it.”

Mori and I both blushed at Kyoya’s implication, and it was Haruhi who had to be held back now. “Kyoya-senpai! Why does she get laid off on the “making every girl happy” bit, and I don’t!?”

“Because she hasn’t broken anything yet. Except maybe Tamaki’s pride when she attacked him back in Chapter Three, but it isn’t very hard to hurt his pride.”

“Momma!! Why!?”


	9. A Lunch Date

Since all the hosts knew now, I had no problem holding Mori’s hand on our way out the door. He still looked a little skittish about the whole thing. _Maybe he’s one of those people that needs his personal space? Except around Hunny. And possibly me._ I looked at him, and he was watching me with a dreamy look in his eyes. _Was I thinking out loud? Or was I making weird faces during my internal monologue again?_ “So what now?”

We came to a stop at the doors of the academy, and I had to think about his question. _Does he mean with us? Because I am totally down to kiss him again right here and now. Oh wait. He probably means the whole blackmail thing. Right._ “I guess I have to go home and call Benio. Oh! What if I ask her out to lunch and have Haruhi come with us? It’s been a while since we’ve had a lunch date.”

“A lunch date sounds like a good idea.” It took me a second to realize he wasn’t thinking about Benio and I.

“I’m gonna hold you to that thought, Takashi.” He smiled bigger and nodded. “I guess I’ll have to call Haruhi too, now. You know, after the sleepover and the dealings you guys had in the past with the Zuka Club, Mr. Fujioka has me on speed dial. It’s to make sure his little girl is doing okay. No ‘so called princes’ or ‘insults to his work from Lobelia.’” I laughed and moved closer into Mori’s side as we walked to the limo where Lewis was waiting. _Now I’m gonna hold myself to my thought. Lewis and the hosts are the only ones around to see, and they all already know._

Right before I could get into the car, I turned and pulled at Mori’s tie until I could wrap my arms around his neck. I caught him off guard, of course. He fell into the kiss soon though, lifting me a little by the waist. I pulled back enough so I could look him in the eyes. “You’re wonderful, Takashi. I’ll see you tomorrow.” He put me down and I laughed at the faces around us. Lewis was paid and trained to be straight faced, and he was still really bad at it. The host club (sans Kyoya) was displaying an array of different shocked faces behind Mori.

The three idiots’ jaws were touching the sidewalk. Haruhi and Hunny didn’t look all that impressed. Mori looked horrified. _I wanna take a guess and say that he’s more of an “in private” guy when it comes to anything more than hand holding. I’m going to have to fix that._ I squeezed Mori’s hand and then shut the limo door. Mori had straightened out some to wave at me, and I waved back with a laugh. “Say goodbye to the host club Lewis!”

“Mr. and Mr. Hitachiin, Mr. Suoh, Mr. Haninozuka, Mr. Morinozuka, and Mx. Fujioka, thank you for taking care of our young lady.” We rode off and I was happy. _I have a boyfriend. And I have ten people I don’t have to hide it around!_ On the way home, I had a stern talk with Lewis about taking pictures, and how I hoped my parents were not involved. _I definitely need to hook Sophie up with Lewis, not Mickey. He’s only three years older than her, right? Oh my god! What if they’re already dating and they’re hiding it from me!?_

At home, dinner was the same as it had been the past three weeks. I talked about classes, and then I lied through my teeth about club activities and how my friends behave. I left out things like kissing, blackmail, and incest. I also don’t bring up the resident perv- I mean prince, or the feud between my best friend and my new group of friends. So I told my parents I sat and had tea with Haruhi, Mori, and Hunny for club. After the meal, I found Sophie and chewed her out for the trouble she and the host club got me into with Kyoya.

I was exhausted when I got to bed, and then huffed at the idea of still having to call Haruhi and Benio. I decided to call Haruhi first. They don’t rant very much, or get angry (at least with me). I’d only seen it a handful of times. It’s better to ask them to come to lunch with Benio and I, than to tell them they’re coming to lunch with us, no questions asked.

When I called their house, it was Mr. Fujioka who picked up. We were almost five minutes into everything when Haruhi had come in and asked who had called. Ranka gave up the phone with a sad goodbye. _I love that man, but there is a time and place for Ranka talk. That time is not now._ I cut no corners in starting the conversation with them. “Haruhi, I have a favor to ask. You also can’t say no because this is returning the favor for dragging me into the sleepover.” _Okay, so the situation is no questions asked._ There was a groan on the other end of the line and I decided to continue. “I’m going to have lunch with Benio on Saturday. She never says no to lunch dates. I need you to go with me because she’s more likely to spill about her ‘plans’ for you if you’re there. I need to get out of this thing with Kyoya. I’m worried about the pictures, but I'm more worried about how Takashi is reacting to him having them. Please? I’m begging you.” Haruhi reluctantly agreed and I thanked them. _I feel so bad about this. Kind of. I’m actually looking forward to seeing how Benio’s personality will change while Haruhi is around. I never went to that “Lord Frederich” snoozefest._

Talking Benio into this would be the easy part. She almost always picked up the phone with the second ring. For me at least.. “What’s going on, (Y/N)? Any gossip?”

“No, actually. We should have a lunch date on Saturday. We haven’t had one since I left Lobelia. I’d love to see you again.” I could hear her swooning over the phone. “I was also wondering if Haruhi could come.” Benio _squealed_ . I’ve heard her do that only twice in the three years I’ve known her. _Looks like I have competition for Benio’s favorite person._ Benio’s answer was yes, of course. We spent the next twenty minutes deciding when and where on Saturday, and if we’d do anything else during the day.

We talked for hours after that, and when I woke up in the morning, I realized neither of us had actually hung up. _Gross. Drool phone._

When Saturday came, the three of us all met up at a casual little restaurant called Subway. Haruhi had suggested that it was the best way for everyone to afford and get what they wanted. Benio and I looked forward to trying it out. It was a little awkward when we all sat down at first, but there wasn’t as much tension as I thought there would be. And then Benio opened her mouth.

“Dearest Haruhi, when will you be transferring to your rightful school? With (Y/N) gone, there’s a spot open for the most beautiful maiden at Lobelia. I believe it has your name on it.” I almost dropped my drink. _Damn, you’re so blunt. You think I’d have adjusted to it by now. Damn._

“I’m sorry Benio-senpai, but I’m not interested in your offer.” _Damn Haruhi. You too?_ “I like where I go to school and the people that I work in the club with. I can’t exactly ask you to come to Ouran and leave your club behind. That’s like leaving family, right? Nothing is ever going to be equal. In my opinion, it’s important to surround yourself with people that make you happy, even if they’re crazy.”

Benio put her hands together and closed her eyes, contemplating what Haruhi had said. _Why does everyone else have such deep thoughts? The only deep thing I ever think about is Mori’s voice_. She raised her hand across the table in Haruhi’s direction. “You’ve made a very valid point. I see now that it is important for you to be there, to keep all those boys in line. You’re very insightful and I admire that about you. I suppose I’m done trying to steal you away like a princess from a tower. You are the mighty dragon that protects the treasures that it has found. And that… prince, I suppose. Just allow me this one wish. Promise to visit? I will miss that smile of yours.”

Haruhi shook her outstretched hand, and I had a moment of confused panic. _What the fuck do I tell Kyoya? That Benio has given up? That there’s been a truce? Will he believe me? Will he accept that answer or is he going to make me do more things?_ “I’m so happy you guys are becoming friends. My best friend and my closest friend at Ouran are getting together. I love you guys.”

I brought them into a hug. When I released them, Benio had one of those evil “I’m going to charm answers out of you” smiles. _Here we go…_ “Speaking of guys you love, tell me more about this Morinozuka fellow who is so special to you.”

“She’s right. I’m interested to hear more, too, (Y/N)-senpai.” _Oh great Haruhi too._ “You two are dating now, and there was that, uh… moment in front of the limo the other day.”

“A moment, hmm?”

_Oh my god I’m gonna die of embarrassment. They're gonna put “died in a commoner’s sandwich shop" on my headstone._


	10. Kiss and Told

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The guests find out about Mori and his special someone. But who is it?

The host club rested easier after Haruhi and I explained what happened on our lunch date. I did too. No more pictures, only the real thing. Just not at school. Or at the dojo.

It was the next week, after the whole lunch date escapade that things started going downhill. I’d stopped host hopping, and settled with Haruhi, thinking I’d distract Mori from “work” if I was a guest of his. I loved hanging out with Haruhi. They were my best friend at Ouran. Talking with them was also a lot easier now that the whole maiden-Lobelia-Benio thing had resolved itself. The other guests were wary of how close I was with Haruhi, even asking at one point if we were dating. We both blushed and dispersed the thought without hesitation. _Haruhi is beautiful and kind. They're hard working and they’re very determined. But I still don’t think I’d ever choose them over Mori if we’d done this whole thing over again. Plus, I know a certain prince that has their eye._

I realized something a few days after I stopped host hopping. I couldn’t stand to see Mori with his guests. I had to sit with my back turned to his table. I got twitchy watching the other girls coo over him, gripping my skirt so hard I almost tore it. _I’m not jealous._ That’s what I kept telling myself. _Takashi_ _actually likes me. We hang out together outside of school and club. He opens up to me and holds my hand and kisses me like you could never imagine a guy that stoic would. I’m different from those other girls. I’m not a heart-eyed pushover. I’m special, and unlike his guests, I’m genuinely in love with- Oh shit._

I stood abruptly from my chair, tears forming in my eyes with an emotion I couldn’t describe. I felt happy and scared and upset all at the same time. My exit was quiet, or at least it was until Hunny called after me. “(Y/N)-chan, are you okay? Did something happen?” Of course I froze. All the hosts had turned their attention to me, which meant all the guests had too. I only dared to look at Hunny and respond before resuming my escape.

“I’m fine, thank you Hunny. My, uh, my makeup is smudged. It’s kind of embarrassing. I’m on my way out to fix it, is all.” I bowed a little towards him. “Sorry for the scare.” Then I was gone.

I went to the dojo early. Practicing kendo usually cleared my mind, but I couldn’t escape like I usually did. When the evening matches began, I saw Mori once or twice, and tried to avoid meeting his eyes. I was glad my mask obscured most of my face, and that the blood rushing to my cheeks could seem like adrenaline. I was too in my own head, and the matches were over before I knew it. I didn’t even know if I’d won the ones I was part of or not. I was only thinking in questions. I wasn’t quite sure of anything at that moment. _Did I really tell myself that? Am I admitting that? Am I ready to admit that?_ The answer was no. I was not ready. I nearly jumped out of my skin when Mori placed a hand on my shoulder after practice, asking if I wanted him to walk me home.

We did this every night after kendo practice now. It was the only time we got to be alone. And _now_ I was nervous about walking home with him? _What is going on here? Maybe I am no better than one of his guests. I bet I look like a fool right now._ We ended up walking together again tonight, despite my nerves. I wanted this to end so I could go home and hide in my bed, but I didn’t want to leave his side either. “Takashi, do you mind if we detour through the park today? It’s - well it might be a longer walk, but the sky looks so pretty tonight, don’t you think?” Yeah, he said, but he wasn’t looking at the stars.

The park was empty. One of the street lamps over the pathway was flickering, messing with my focus. I almost felt like I was being dragged, or like my body wasn’t my own. I was aware of Mori’s hand on mine, and it was hard to make sense of much else. He sat us down in a gazebo in a more flowery part of the park. I was afraid to look at him. If he asked me a question, even as basic as how are you, it’s possible I could have melted into my seat.

“(Y/N), why were you crying today? At the club.” His tone was calm and soothing, and I wanted to pour my heart and soul out to him right then and there. I shook my head though, with tears pricking my eyes as I looked at him. _Why am I shy now? Real love is stupid._

“I’m not ready to tell you yet. I’m sorry. I know that’s vague and it may bring up more questions. I’m in a weird place right now, though, and I don’t-” I felt his lips, but not on my own. He pressed a soft kiss to my temple, telling me silently that it was okay and that he understood. I shifted into his side and hugged myself into a ball. He sat and watched, but not in a looming way. He looked over me with care and concern. “I promise I’m gonna tell you.” I mumbled into his shirt. “I need you to wait a little longer.” He rubbed my back and hummed in agreement. It was nice.

I don’t remember falling asleep, or getting into my own bed. Sophie says I’d nodded off while out with Mori (she wasn’t given a lot of details), and that he’d called Lewis to come take me home. _That’s so embarrassing!_ Sophie tried to get answers out of me as she got me ready for school, but I didn’t tell her anything, either. _I don’t think I’m ready to talk to anyone about this._

When I got to school, I immediately found Mori and pulled him to an empty classroom. “Thank you.” I said, and I pulled him down for a gentle good morning kiss, the first of what I hoped to be many. It was better, knowing I could trust him. Even though I couldn’t hold out forever, he was still patient. “We should go on our lunch date this weekend.” He smiled at me and hugged me.

“That sounds like fun. Where do you want to go?” We walked down the hallway to our first class together, planning out our date. I felt that familiar glare of jealous fangirls at the back of my head as I talked with him. The day was kind of boring after that. No one barged into our classes to see Hunny or Mori like they usually did.

Things changed though when we got to the host club. I was chatting with one of the guests at Haruhi’s table; she’d found her very own “Lewis”. "That's her!" I heard a girl yell from across the room. _How unladylike._ "She's the one that's been hanging around Mori!" _Oh boy._

The man himself calmly stood. "We're classmates. We were walking to class together."

"Likely story." One girl said.

"I hear the two of them are in the same kendo dojo, so they hang out after club as well."

_Okay, as long as they don't know-_

"I heard the two of them in the hallway talking about their date!" All the girls in the room gasped. Haruhi looked sorry for me. Kyoya was scribbling away in his notebook. Mori was wearing his panic all over his face.

_Shit. Uh… Think fast…_

"What of it?" I asked. "That's what my father calls it, though it's rather unprofessional. We are heirs, you know. Our fathers meet regularly, and Mori and I are sometimes required to be there. That is what my father calls a lunch date."

The girls murmured amongst themselves that it all made sense. Then one of Tamaki’s guests opened her big mouth. “If this is true, and (Y/N)-senpai and Mori-senpai are just friends, then who was he kissing this morning in the classroom?”

_FUCK._ Kyoya and the twins looked so smug. _I wish they’d all go eat dirt. My life is over. My last year of high school is ruined because I have a perfect boyfriend._ All eyes were on Mori. His calm demeanor was gone and he was looking for a scapegoat. He looked at Tamaki, and he got the hint. I think. “My dearest ladies, isn’t it a dream? Might _I_ interest you in a kiss?” A lot of girls squealed and a few girls groaned and I facepalmed.

“What about the other hosts?” Some girls were yelling about the twins and which they’d kiss if they had the chance. Some were wondering what kissing Haruhi would be like. They were remembering back to the Ouran ball where Haruhi had kissed Kanako. And of course there were the ones that made my blood boil:

“We want to kiss Mori!” _You know, I’ve only ever seen him run once, when Hunny wasn’t being careful and almost fell out of a tree. This is a surprise._

He ran and the girls couldn’t keep up with him. You’d have to be fit to do that. And used to training with him. Like me. I snuck out one of the club room’s back entrances and ran before anyone could notice I’d left too. I saw him entering the hedge maze. _He’s headed for the gazebo. How original._ I laughed, running until we were safe and hidden.

We both caught our breath and laughed some more. Then Mori threw his arms around me and kissed me with an intensity he hadn’t shown before. It was definitely a surprise, but a welcome one. “I don’t ever want to kiss anyone but you, (Y/N).”

I huffed in shock and returned his warm smile. “I love you, too, Takashi.”

  
  



	11. Couple Confirmed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mori and (Y/N) have their first real date, and they also find out what their parents have to say about it all.

After I said those three little words, I felt closer than ever to Mori. We also had to be more careful. I didn’t understand why he wanted to be a host in the first place, aside from being able to watch over Hunny. So we agreed that we'd take more time to get me home on nights after kendo. I told Sophie to cover for me although it wasn't necessary. Mom and Dad were usually in bed by the time I got home from kendo.

So the next few nights we went back to that park. We talked about school and the club and kendo. We talked about the other hosts. And sometimes we kissed… _a lot_ … in that gazebo with the comfy benches. On those nights, I usually did most of the talking. I could tell he was always fully invested in our conversations.

Then Saturday came and our lunch date turned out to be a dinner and a movie date. Mori ended up taking me to this restaurant that was fancy, but not fancy like caviar fancy. We shared a plate of fries and laughed about the stuffy atmosphere. About how being the eldest child of a successful family kind of sucked.

After dinner we made our way to the movie theatre. Mori bought me candy and popcorn. I was more excited about the food than the movie. _He knows the way to my heart is jokes and greasy finger foods. I love him so much._ Mori ended up letting me pick the movie, and I chose a cheesy looking romcom that we were bound to hate. The movie’s lead actually resembled Tamaki, and that was kind of sad. We came out of the theatre laughing our asses off about how stupid the movie was. _I didn’t know that he enjoyed doing these kinds of things._

He grabbed my hand and we started walking towards the park. That gazebo under the moonlight was our spot. I swung our hands a bit, happy just to walk with him, and he watched me with such strong adoration in his eyes. By the time we’d reached the park, my legs were ready to give out. Mori noticed my stumbling and swung me up into his arms. It was warm against his chest. “Thanks.” I mumbled, blush taking over my face.

In the gazebo, he set me down gently onto one of the benches, but there was nothing gentle about the kiss he started. It took me by surprise. He was kissing like he was being starved of attention. _I have no problem providing him with my attention._ But the way his fingers tangled in my hair and he nipped at my bottom lip was nothing like the calm, cool Takashi I knew. _And I loved it. Tamaki and Kyoya are right, he is a wild man._

He pushed me back until I was laying across the bench. He kissed my cheeks, my forehead and the tip of my nose. His kisses went down my neck, but they were only gentle pecks and they were driving me mad. And then he was pushing the sleeve of my t-shirt down over my shoulder. He sucked a little spot that no one would see under my uniform. _What’s gotten into him?_ “Takashi.” I meant to question him, but his name came off my lips in a low moan, and he immediately pulled off of me.

“I should get you home before someone comes looking for you.” He sat back a little from me, blushing and breathing in shallow gasps. and avoiding eye contact. I’m sure I looked a mess. In the same boat as him but with some clothing pulled aside and my lips swollen red. _He’s right. We should get home._ I stood, straightening my shirt and finger-combing through my hair. It probably didn’t help anything. Mori himself adjusted his shirt and pants so he didn’t look as much like he’d been making out with a girl on a bench. _Which I’m so very glad that he did, by the way._ I still had jelly legs, so he picked me up once more and started down the sidewalk. We were silent the rest of the walk home. I was enjoying being with him. There was no need for words. He let me down to walk on my own before the house came into view so no one saw us.

Sophie always met the two of us at the door, and Mori always wished the both of us goodnight. But tonight the lights were still on in the house, and when Sophie opened the door, she acted like a normal maid. “Please come in, Mr. Morinozuka, Miss (Y/N). Your fathers are waiting for you in the study.” _Oh shit. Fathers? Like, plural? What’s going on? Did they find out? How did they find out? What does Sophie know?_

“What do you know, Sophie?” She only shrugged and gave a sympathetic look. _Looks like we’re in the dark on this one._

Mori didn’t seem super worried, but when I grabbed his hand, his fingers were trembling. I squeezed his hand to reassure him, but I don’t know how much good it did. We released each other and made our way to my father’s study, where the door was already cracked open.

“Ah, (Y/N), Takashi, please come in. Akira and I have something we’d like to talk to you about.” Mori and I sat down somewhat stiffly in the chairs across from our fathers. “Now,” My father began. “I understand that the two of you partake in quite a few extracurricular activities together.” _Oh god._ My breath caught in my throat. _They do know._

“Yes,” Mr. Morinozuka continued, “between your classes, that host club, and kendo at my dojo, it proves to me that you two have many common interests. From what Mr. (L/N) has told me, you, Miss (Y/N) are a bright young lady, one at the top of your class. You’re level-headed and strong, which I have seen for myself. I also have several witnesses who say you bring out the best parts of my son.” _Not yet, I haven’t, old man._

“And you, young man, have been a great guide to my daughter. (Y/N) and Sophie have told me that you are upstanding and chivalrous. Also that you’ve helped my daughter through the thick and thin of her starting at a new school and dojo.”

Akira dragged the conversation back his way. “With this said, and the prospects and deals of the future underway, I believe you would make a wonderful bride for my son.” Mori and I looked at each other with wide eyes. I couldn’t form words about how anxious this made me, or that it was actually a dream come true. Mori, like the gentleman he is, took my hand and looked into my eyes.

“It would be an honor to have you as my future wife.” There were almost tears in my eyes and it took everything in me to not kiss him in celebration.

“Thank you, Dad, Mr. Morinzuka. This is such a wonderful opportunity and I’m very very grateful. I promise you won’t regret your decision.”

Both gentlemen stood from their seats, telling us they’d allow us a moment alone to talk over this new arrangement. The moment the door shut I cried happy tears and Mori kissed me softly and deeply. We let go before anyone could catch us or we went too far again. He stood, holding my hand, and pulled me into a hug. “I like the way (Y/N) Morinozuka sounds.”

“Me too, Takashi.”

Later that night, as Sophie helped me get ready for bed, I spilled the details about what happened in the study. She jumped and squealed and hugged me. That’s her go-to reaction to anything Takashi. She didn’t ask about my date with Mori until I was getting into my pajamas and she saw my shoulder. “It’s a good thing your father arranged this for you too, because I don’t think you’re supposed to do that until you’re married.” I blushed dark crimson and hurried to pull a shirt on.

“We didn’t do… _that._ It was just really intense kissing.” Sophie made a noise like she didn’t believe me. _I don’t blame her. I should’ve known I wouldn’t be able to hide something like this from Sophie._ We dropped it there, and I had happy dreams that night.

I woke up happy too. Like Tamaki happy. Gross overwhelming happy. And when I saw Mori at school, surrounded by girls, my heart dropped a little. I sort of stomped up and asked the girls if I could borrow Mori as I had some kendo stuff I needed to talk to him about. They were reluctant, but Mori just got up and left. He didn’t say anything to the girls. I wanted to laugh at them.

We went to an empty classroom and I sat down at one of the desks. “Takashi, I want to talk about the Host Club. I don’t want to stop you from doing it. I just need you to know that I get jealous. I’m needy like that.” I laughed a little awkwardly. “I want you to stay a Host. Remember though, I’m always waiting for you after club.” Mori crouched down and smiled.

“Thank you, (Y/N). I promise you’re the only girl for me.”


	12. Fiancée Found Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The host club finds out that (Y/N) is engaged. They also find out who Lewis really is.

I was incredibly jealous of the girls surrounding Mori. I wanted to sit at his table, but I knew that’d only distract him and send the guests into a frenzy. So, I still sat with Haruhi. They were currently across the room taking care of some identical dummies. The girls at this table had become friends of mine. There was Grace, Alexandria, and Joanna. The three of them had been talking amongst themselves while I daydreamed. Eventually they turned to me. They were talking about boys they liked. Most of them mentioned a host. Most of them mentioned Haruhi. _Would they still like Haruhi if they knew they were a girl?_ “(Y/N), how are things going with Lewis?”

“Uhh... “ I blushed and looked down at my lap. “We’re engaged now.” The girls started squealing about how lucky I was. How wonderful it must be to be in love instead of spending club time ogling at boys you can’t have. Haruhi came back to the table to calm the girls down. Tamaki, followed by Hikaru, Kaoru, and Hunny came to make the situation worse.

“Hello ladies.” Hikaru linked arms with Kaoru and bent over their shoulders. “I think this is our most excitable table, right Kaoru?”

Karou nodded and continued his brother’s thought. “So what is today’s lovely news?”

_Wait. Shit._

Before I could stop Alexandria, she clapped her hands together and grinned. “(Y/N) and her boyfriend got engaged!” All the hosts went quiet. Even Haruhi looked completely shocked. Tamaki looked across the room at Mori, but Mori was busy with his guests. Either he was playing it cool or he hadn’t heard anything. _Oh my god. Okay. I guess it’s okay as long as the guests don’t know._ Then Tamaki dawned his princely “I have an idea”: pose, and I knew whatever was about to happen was not going to work in our favor.

“Mori-senpai! Did you hear that?” He yelled across the room, alerting every single guest, and probably everyone on campus. Mori looked up, expressionless. “(Y/N) and her boyfriend got engaged! Isn’t that wonderful news?”

Mori gave a slight nod, and spoke just loud enough for us to hear across the room. “Congratulations. I hope you and Lewis stay happy together.” I laughed and thanked him. _I’m so lucky that he’s level headed. And apparently good at improvisation._ Tamaki looked upset that he couldn’t get a rise out of Mr. Strong and Silent. _What kind of reaction did you think you were gonna get, Tamaki? You labeled him as “strong and silent.”_

With that done, the hosts went back to their respective areas. Haruhi sat down, still shaken by the news. “Haven’t you two only known each other for two months?” _They’re right. It’s been such a short time, but it’s as if I knew him before I met him._ I shuffled my feet around nervously under the table and picked at the sleeves on my uniform.

“I’m one of the lucky ones, Haruhi. This is an arranged marriage. We learned about it only two nights ago. But see the thing is, I’m not being forced into anything. I loved him before my father and his father decided this. Not many aristocrats get to marry for love. Most arranged marriages happen when the two are children. They grow up knowing they’ll always be together. I didn’t get that chance with Taka-I mean Lewis, so I’m making up for time I feel like I’ve lost.” The girls (and the three menaces) teared up over how hopeful and romantic that sounded.

I spent the rest of the day answering questions about Lewis to those who didn’t already know our story. They asked about our first date and how we met. What he looked like, his personality. Had I kissed him yet? What family is he from? Etc. (I had to lie about most of that.) I was overwhelmed by it all, and ended up having to take a breather in one of the music room’s back rooms. _I’m not used to so much attention. This is positive attention, but last time people were this focused on me was because they saw me… with Benio. What if that happens again?_

I didn’t leave the room until Hunny came in and said they were cleaning up for the day. He brought me back into the main room, where the hosts congratulated Mori and I. Hunny hugged me, and the twins gave double (quadruple?) thumbs up. _Time to get Mr. Money out of the way._ “Kyoya, I want to know that I don’t plan on stealing your “one Strong and Silent type” from the club. I’m okay with him staying as a host as long as I can have him after club. Sound fair?”

Kyoya adjusted his glasses and held his hand out. “Thank you for your business. Best wishes to you two.” I shook his hand and smiled. I felt at ease with the eight of us in the otherwise empty club room. _Screw privacy, they know and we’re kind of celebrating._ Spinning over to Mori, and pulled at his tie for a sweet and quick kiss. He was surprised, but kissed back and slowly pulled away when I released his tie. “Well,” Kyoya cleared his throat, “It seems feisty was the right term to describe you, (Y/N)-senpai.”

“Yeah,” the twins laughed, “guess we know who wears the pants in this relationship. Senpai gets manhandled by a woman.” Mori’s face grew red, as did mine. Luckily, Haruhi had some type of power over every host, and they smacked the gingers over the head. I laughed at their pain and leaned further into Mori’s chest.

Tamaki stepped forward for the last word. “May this awkward couple forever be blessed!”

I laughed and looked up at Mori happily. His gaze was warm and it made me feel so safe. “Take me home?” He nodded and took me bridal style out of the room, ignoring the confused calls after us. I loved being in his arms like this. There was so much affection and protectiveness in his arms. He carried me all the way to what we call “our park”, and I giggled at the looks we got during our walk. Someone even asked if I had injured my leg and if he could call a doctor for us. We continued to laugh about it on our way to the gazebo. When we sat down, Mori slid over and rested his head on my shoulder. “Tired?” He hummed, and closed his eyes. I ran my fingers through his hair mindlessly as I watched the sunset. _This is perfect. I wish every evening was like this._

“Takashi, does it bother you that I’m so forward in front of the club? Or in general?”

He opened his eyes and shook his head, sitting up. “It doesn't bother me. Their reactions are entertaining.” He turned and thought for a minute, watching the last sliver of sun go down. “I don’t mind at all.” He leaned into me, taking my hand and kissing each of my knuckles, then flipping my hand over and placing a kiss on my palm. _Where is that Takashi from two nights ago? Do I have to drag it out of him?_ I pulled my hands away, lacing them over his shoulders.

“Would you kiss me already?” _This was my new favorite pastime. Stained cushioned benches, flickering street lights, the warmth that comes with being held in someone’s arms, and that someone being-_

“Mori-senpai?” _Oh my god is that Grace?_ “What are you doing?” Of course his back was covering her view of me. _Thank goodness._ I hid under the table where it was darker.

“Thought I saw a coin in the cushions.”

“Okay, then what is (Y/N)-senpai doing under the table?” _Shit. We’re screwed._ “Oh my god! Are you cheating on Lewis!?”

“No! Just- this isn’t cheating. I made Lewis up! Please don’t tell anyone!” There were so many emotions on Grace’s face that I couldn’t tell what she was thinking. _I don’t think my ruffled dress and frazzled hair are going to do anything to help my case._ Mori didn’t try to help our case at all. He grabbed my hand and started running in the direction of my house. We arrived out of breath and Sophie pulled me inside.

I said goodbye to Mori, and shuffled upstairs with Sophie, who was intent on knowing what happened. I told her about the club finding out that “Lewis” and I are engaged, and about the park. “The hosts were happy for us, but one of the guests saw us, and now we’re in deep shit.” 

Sophie gave a sad look and patted me on the shoulder. “That really sucks, (Y/N).”

And she was right because when I got to school the next day, everyone was talking about the Host Stealer. The girl who forced herself on Mori. The luckiest girl in the world. The bitch who shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near the Host Club ever again.

But I did go back. I did get death glares from jealous girls. I got a few starry-eyed glances from dreaming girls. I even got sad and angry looks from a few guys who had thought they’d had a chance with me, but now Mori had me.

And when I got to club that day, I was hated by just about everyone. The girls who weren’t angry asked questions about what dating Mori was like. I was surrounded. Even Alexandria and Joanna were ganging up on me.

Mori came in then, wading his way through the crowd. He picked me up like he’d done yesterday, and walked back to his table. He sat down with me in his lap. The room was silent. And then Mori spoke up.

“(Y/N) didn’t do anything wrong. Be nice to my fiancée.”


	13. The Impurity in the Club and in the Mind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N) is done with the host club for now, but she's just getting started with Mori.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no idea how the fuck this ended up this way, but enjoy, my precious guests.

_Well shit, Takashi. How did you think that would help the situation?_ It seemed to take the room a moment to connect the dots between “be nice to my fiancée” and “Mori-senpai! Did you hear that? (Y/N) and her boyfriend got engaged! Isn’t that wonderful news” to which Mori had so calmly replied the day before. And of course there was screaming and the girls were crying and I could not have cared less. So it was the Benio situation all over again, except this time the girls had actual reasons to be mad. _Mori and I are dating and engaged. Mori and I spend a lot of time together outside of school. Mori and I have kissed… among other things. Mori has told me he loves me._ This would all be a dream come true for these girls. _I know it was for me._

I saw Grace through the crowd and she almost looked upset. Like she really felt guilty. I had asked her not to tell though. _She is not the victim here._ She made eye contact and pointed towards the door. She wanted to talk to me. _Too bad. I’m not ready to talk to her yet. She told MY secret. I wasn’t ready and she made that decision for me._ I shook my head and hid my face in Mori’s shirt until Tamaki came over. “Senpais, can we talk to you for a minute?” He gestured to the back room where the other hosts had congregated.

Back there, I sat in the same chair they’d held me down in on my first day with the club, and Mori stood beside me. Kyoya, who was likely aware of the full story, stepped towards the two of us. “Please. Enlighten us on the situation.” Oh wow he’s pissed.

“My friend Grace saw Takashi and I… hanging out at the park. I asked her not to tell anyone and I guess she did anyway.”

“And why, praytell, did you confirm these rumors, Mori-senpai?” _Now that’s an answer I’d like to hear as well._

“The attacks on (Y/N) are going to continue no matter what. By telling the guests the truth, I can take some of the heat off of her.”

“But senpai,” Haruhi asked, “won’t this interfere with your job as a host?”

“We tried to be careful, you guys.” I was feeling pretty guilty at this point. “Whether the rumors were confirmed or not, they were going to jeopardize his ‘work’.”

“Besides. (Y/N) is more important to me than being a host.” The boys awwed at us, until there was a loud banging on the doors. It was the guests, angry that I’d taken all seven hosts’ attention. “We should get you out of here.” Mori took my hand and led me through yet another back door. We ran through the hallways and out the front of the school, where Lewis was waiting for me.I turned to Mori in question. “Mitsukuni called for him.”

I nodded and kissed him on the cheek. I pulled him down further, to whisper in his ear. “My parents are gone for the weekend for some business conferences in Koshigaya. Don’t be a stranger." Mori looked at the sidewalk, face blazing as Lewis took me away.

At home, I wheezed for a good ten minutes by the front door. I _can't believe I told him that. What was I thinking? What if he- what if I? Holy fuck (Y/N)._ I gathered the main staff of the house (including Sophie and Lewis) and explained what I’d told Mori. Without direct quotes. And attempted minimum embarrassment. “Most important: Mom and Dad can not know.” No one put up a fight except for the old maid Jenny. She yelled about it being improper. Jenny claimed my father should be contacted immediately. Sophie managed to convince her to let it happen. I have no idea how though.

After dinner, Sophie sat me down with an excited look on her face. _Oh boy. I don't like where this is going._ "I had a feeling this would happen, so I got you a few things." _Oh I really don't like where this is going._ She pulled up a large shopping bag with no brand name on it. The first thing she pulled out was a bottle of perfume with an opalesque top. She sprayed a bit and it smelled like… vanilla and honey? _This is good though. This is okay._ After that was lotion. _Cool. I've been needing more._ The next thing she pulled out was foundation and concealer. That was fine until she said "to cover up the love in front of your parents." By then I realized what was going on. She pulled out a dress that would've been more accurately called a scrap of lace and strings. The last thing she pulled out was a box of condoms. _Oh my God this woman has no fucking chill whatsoever._

"Sophie, oh my fucking God." I couldn't even look her in the eyes. I was screeching into a pillow on my bed and rocking back and forth with everything laid out in front of me. _I've thought about it and- and that was definitely what I was implying. I think. But this? This makes it real._

"Oh, and last thing, because I know you're a 'woman in charge' kind of girl." I was mortified by the handcuffs she pulled from the bottom of the bag.. I was officially dead. Again.

"What the- excuse me Sophie but what the actual fuck?" I gestured to everything laid out before me.

"Okay. Hear me out." She looked a little flustered herself. "I'm really happy for you and Mori, but I want to make sure you're being safe. I prepared this stuff because I figured it'd happen sooner or later, what with your parents' trip coming up. I also try not to mention it, but you and Mori haven't exactly been coming home in a presentable state lately. It's easy to see what's going on. Why do you think I always rush you upstairs before your parents can see you?" _She's right. Shit. This is a good thing. She's preparing me. That doesn't mean anything is going to happen._ I thanked her and she asked if I had any questions. I asked a few about me, a few about her and her experience. I asked if she and Lewis were a thing, and she almost fell off the bed. I laughed, taking her raging red face as a yes.

When I got to school the next day, the stares of the girls around me didn’t even phase me. I was too focused on not making eye contact with Mori. Seeing him after everything I talked about with Sophie made me think about things she got me. And not just about the things, but about actually using them.. _Am I a pervert? I'm not right? He's my fiancé, so it's not weird. He probably thinks about these things too… OH MY GOD WHAT IF HE THINKS ABOUT THESE THINGS TOO!?_ I just about passed out at my desk after that. Then everyone was looking at me. Then Mori was looking at me. Then I panicked and passed out.

When I came to, I was in a bed in the nurse's office and Mori was leaning over me. I got up so fast I knocked foreheads with him. "Sorry! Crap! I'm so sorry Takashi you surprised me." I rubbed at my own forehead and squeaked as he grabbed my free hand.

"Just glad you're okay." The nurse came over pushing Mori out of the way. She checked for a fever and made sure I had no head injuries (aside from the one I'd given myself with Mori a second ago). The nurse gave an okay and wrote us a pass back to class.

"How long was I out?"

"'Bout half an hour."

"Mhm." Mori took my hand in his as we walked the empty hallways. It was nice. "Hey Takashi, you know I love Haruhi and the guys, right? We've gotten close over the past three and a half months." He nodded. "Well, I need you to tell them I said 'bye for now'. I won’t be visiting the host club for a while." Mori opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off. "And I understand your duties to the club. Don't quit just because I stop coming. We can still hang out tons… like… do you maybe want to stay over on Friday for a movie marathon?"

He almost tripped over his own feet, but I couldn't blame him. I wanted to hide in Nekozawa's room and I was the one who asked the question.

"That sounds like fun. I can't wait." He smiled a little and pulled me a little closer. _There's no way this is going to go right, but I'm still gonna try._

  
  



	14. Deadpool and Chill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N) and Mori have a movie night but instead of watching movies they have sex.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah yes, the long(?) awaited sex scene. Also, Deadpool is a great movie/character and the first movie is better. Fight me.

“So what does ‘movie night’ entail, exactly. I need to make sure I don’t barge in on anything.” Sophie asked on Thursday night.

“Um… I was planning on actually watching a movie or two, but…” I shrank down into my pillows, covering my face. “I want to try the other thing too.” Sophie grabbed me and laughed about how wonderful it was going to be for me. I couldn't hear her. I was busy figuring out how I was going to do this. _I want both of us to enjoy this._ “Sophie!” She quieted at my serious tone. “Can you teach me how to be seductive?”

“Oh! Uh-” She fidgeted in her seat, tapping her fingers along my mattress. “I can try, I guess.”

I didn’t focus at all again in class the next day. _I’m going to fail at this point. Damn it, writer._ Mori tried to ask if I was okay twice during the day, and I told him I was looking forward to our movie night. Me too, was his response. When school ended, he had club and I went straight home. I spent my time cleaning up and picking out movies. I only picked two because my plan was to pick one movie that was sexy or had sexy parts in them to see Mori’s reaction. Then I’d pounce while he’s still thinking about them.

Mori arrived around six, early than expected, but I was happy nonetheless. He had a bag with him, which I did expect, but the realness in the moment still made me somewhat anxious. He was still in his school uniform, but I was wearing a giant hoodie and yoga pants, with only that red lingerie on underneath. _It actually isn’t as uncomfortable as it looks._ I led him to my room where popcorn and some candy were spread out on a table for our movie viewing. He didn’t set his bag down. Instead he asked where the bathroom was so he could change out of his uniform. _What a gentleman, not willing to change in front of me. Kinda contradictory considering we’re going to be sharing a bed, am I right?_

When Mori returned I was already sprawled out on the bed eating out of a box of Whoppers. I took a moment to ogle at him in his faded tee and gray sweatpants. _Casual looks good on him._ “Hey, babe, you ever seen Deadpool?” Mori shook his head. _This will be a great movie to start with. It’s comedic, action packed, and also full of sex, porn references, and strippers. Let’s just see what happens._

Mori sunk down into the bed next to me, holding onto me and stealing some candy when I wasn’t looking. I was quiet for about three quarters of the movie, but I’d had a bad habit of commenting during movies I really enjoyed. Mori didn’t seem to mind, and even responded to some of my rambling. I loved the way he held me, and I wanted him to hold me tighter. I wanted to touch all of him and I wanted him to touch all of me and I suddenly understood what lust meant. The final credits finally came up and Mori smiled. “That was a good movie, (Y/N).” He kissed the top of my head before I slid out of his arms.

“I know, right! Deadpool is my favorite anti-hero. Gimme a minute to go to the bathroom, and then we can watch the second one.” He nodded, and I made my way out of my room. I raced to the stairs where Sophie was sweeping and signaled that it was time. She understood and went down to the laundry room where the rest of the maids were working. Back in the bathroom, I stripped down to the lingerie in front of the mirror. I wasn’t exactly skinny but I liked the way I looked in it. I liked the way the strings ran over my hips and stomach, along with the lacy diamond pattern over my breasts. _It’s showtime._

I attempted to saunter back into my room. I’m not sure that I did it all that well, but when I clicked the door shut and Mori turned his head, the look on his face told me I was doing fine. The room was a little chilly in just that, but I had Mori to make me warm, I crawled back over to Mori on the bed, straddling his hips. “Takashi, can I have a kiss?”

He grabbed at my hips, shaking a little, but still pulling me a little closer. “Of course.” His voice was steady, but his eyes were wide and he was sweating just enough for it to be noticeable in the tv lit room. The kiss was like the first night he pinned me to that bench. His lips were attentive, bruisingly so. He bit at my bottom lip and his tongue took a swipe over mine. We sat there for what seemed like forever, kissing and breathing each other in. He took his time moving down to my collarbone, sucking and biting like it was all he knew how to do. He kept moving down, licking between my breasts and keeping eye contact.

There was a heat in my lower belly that I'd never felt and I was moving my hips against him before I could stop myself. My hands were linked behind his neck and I pulled at his hair. I knew he was enjoying himself, in the way his kisses stopped and his hips came up to meet mine. “(Y/N) are you sure you know what you’re doing?”

“No, but I’d like to learn. I have to warn you though, I prefer to be self taught.” I grinned devilishly and pulled a pair of handcuffs from the bedside drawer. Mori looked surprised. _Oh my god I’m so nervous. I can do this though. I want this and he would’ve actually stopped me by now if he didn’t want to._

Mori pulled me close so he was right by my ear. “Maybe next time.” He pushed the handcuffs away. “I’d like to teach you this lesson myself.” _Did he say next time?_ He smiled at me and kissed me. Then his clothes started coming off. _Oh my god I love all of him._ He came back down on me in just his boxers, which were straining and begging to be taken off as well. His hands went for the tiny bit of fabric covering my breasts, but he stopped first with a questioning look. I nodded yes and sighed happily. Finally, his hands were on me. I loved this feeling. A groan escaped me when his tongue ran over one of my teased nipples. _When did he learn how to do this?_ My hands were on him now, tracing the lean muscles across his abdomen and down his hips.

He jerked a little when my hands kept going lower. The face he made was beautiful: eyes closed and mouth hanging open slightly. _It’s a look I want to see more often._ Mori was apparently through teasing. He pulled away enough that I couldn’t touch him there anymore, and began rolling the rest of the lingerie off my body. I felt so exposed and shy, but I knew I was safe with him.

Then his hand was going down and he was rubbing at my clit and I was in heaven. I moaned his name much louder than I intended too, but I almost couldn’t care. Mori matched his movements with two fingers inside of me, thrusting inside at the same rhythm. “Takashi please! Please I need more. Give me all of it.”

Mori made sort of a ‘no’ sound. “Gotta make sure you’re ready. I want it too. Can’t rush though.” I whined and gripped at his arms. _I know he’s right, but I feel like I’m going to explode._ And explode, I did. He twisted in a third finger and I was seeing stars.

“Oh my god, Takashi, you have to do that again.”

“Plan to.” He smiled and dug through the table drawer until he found the box of condoms. _How’d he know I had those?_ His boxers came off and he was swollen red and dripping. _I want it in me so bad. Hurry up, babe._ And he was in me, but so slowly. Part of me wanted him to hurry up, but there was this dull pain that wanted him to stop. I was stuck in vaginal limbo until he pressed his forehead to mine and kissed me softly. “Relax. It’ll be okay.”

His voice sounded a little strained, but he pushed in, still slowly, until he was fully seated in me. The fullness was overwhelming, but there was this blinding spark that had me gasping for air. I nodded hurriedly and he took the hint, starting a rhythm that kept me from forming full words. I could only speak with my hands, dragging red marks down his back and sides. His mouth stayed over mine, swallowing every noise I tried to make. Even Mori was grunting in the heat of it all, and the sight of him was something I’d cherish forever.

The rush was coming again, and I bit down at Mori’s shoulder. “Oh god. Takashi- I need- please.” He rammed in a little harder, hitting a spot that piled me in pure ecstasy. It took me a moment to realize that Mori had stopped as well and was pulling out of me. I laid there boneless while he got up and threw away his condom. He pulled the comforter up over both of us and smiled. “I love you, (Y/N), so much.

I reached over and brushed at his cheek. “I love you, too babe. I’m holding you to that ‘next time’.” Mori stiffened a bit, and I laughed, watching the handcuffs dangle out of the bedside drawer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for my usage of the term "vaginal limbo." I don't know how I came up with it and I don't know how to fix it. XD


	15. Heart, Hickeys, and Hot-Headedness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N) and Mori go back to school after their weekend together. Everyone still stares (with reason). (Y/N) decides to put her foot down.

Mori ended up staying for the weekend. It was nice to just be lazy with him. We didn’t have to worry about hosts, guests, classmates, or even parents. _Where does Mr. Morinozuka think Takashi has been?_ _With Hunny?_ The bed was where we were spending most of our time. We watched movies and studied and did a few other things. Currently, I was making Mori watch my favorite disney princess movie, _Tangled_ , with me. I couldn’t tell if he was actually enjoying it or if he was enjoying watching me enjoy it. _That would be so like him._

“Hey,” I rolled over onto him, resting my head over his heart, “you know you’re in big trouble, right?” He hummed in question. I could feel it run through his chest. His hand came down to rub over my back, going in slow circles. “You’ve completely spoiled me this weekend. I plan on being at least forty percent more needy after this.” He laughed and pulled me up into a kiss.

“I think I can handle that.”

Mori left before my parents came home that afternoon. He didn’t want to get caught over here, but Jenny had already called ahead and said he was here and we were studying. Dad was upset that he didn’t get to say hello or goodbye to Mori. _You’re such a sap, dad_ . I sat down with him and Mom to ask about their business meetings. Apparently some sketchy salesman tried to sell them pyrite a.k.a. Fool’s good, and Dad got to call him out on it. Mom took pictures. _Exciting._ Of course they also asked about my studies and relationship with Mori. And of course I lied through my teeth to them like I did when I started going to the host club. _God, am I a bad daughter? They try so hard to accept me and I keep lying to them. I’ll be better about that. Maybe._

My parents retired right after dinner that evening. I decided to go to my room and call Benio. I hadn’t talked to her since- _Oh my god Benio doesn’t know Takashi and I are engaged. I’m a horrible daughter AND a horrible best friend._

I missed Benio. I missed her voice. It was seductive, but Benio’s seduction was comforting to me. “Darling, you better have a good reason for locking me out these past few weeks.” After apologizing, I let loose about just about everything to her. I started with the park bench, then told her about all the monstrous fangirls, specifically Grace, and finally our engagement.

“And, uh, Takashi and I- we spent the weekend together.”

There was a gasp on the end of the line, and then Benio asked something that surprised me. “Now you don’t have to talk about Mr. Perfect’s skills specifically, but describe to me what it’s like to lay with a man. I’m curious.”

“Benio!” I scolded. “My Benio who scorns men and all relationships with them? What have you done with my Benio?”

“Oh shut it, (Y/N). Even girls like me get tired of just fingers sometimes. Spill.” So, I explained everything to Benio. She said it was like poetry. It was something more seductive sounding than she could ever hope to recite, even if it was with a man. The rest of the evening was back and forth girl talk. _How’s Lobelia? How’s Ouran? How’s the Zuka Club? How’s Morinozuka and the walking retrospections?_ It was nice talking to her again. She and Mori both made me happy, in different ways. There was so much going on that I hadn’t realized how much I missed her. _I should invite her next time I go on a trip somewhere._

The next morning I died for the third time in this book. We had gym on Mondays. Gym uniforms were a t-shirt and shorts. _I’m so fucked. Everyone’s gonna kill me. I may kill Takashi for the way he marked me up. Neither of us were thinking, but he was more focused than I was when we were… studying_. When I got to the gym, I went straight to the coach and asked her if we could speak in private. She pulled me into her office and leaned back against the wall. “So, what’s going on (L/N)?”

“I can’t wear the gym uniform.”

“Why’s that?” She seemed curious.

“I’m uh-” I lowered my head in shame. “I’m covered in hickeys that the gym uniform won’t cover.”

“Not my problem.”

“No you don’t understand. Every girl at this school knows I’m engaged to one of the hosts. They’d know it was him. I could get eaten alive. I could get him in a lot of trouble. You know how much money the host club makes for this school? I could get _you_ in trouble.”

The coach was off the wall in a matter of seconds. She dug through a box behind her desk and handed me a wad of clothes. “Best I can do. Sorry.” There was a pair of track pants and a long sleeve shirt. It greatly improved in coverage, but my neck would still be exposed. _Oh well. I’ve made it this far._

I stuck out like a sore thumb in the midst of the class. Thankfully, the coach gave no one time to question my appearance. She started the class right away. _I hope we’re not doing too much today. I might boil in this uniform._ I got lucky; everything we did was an indoor activity. We played volleyball for most of class. That’s all our gym classes usually were; we’d pick a sport and play that until the bell rang. I’d say I was pretty good at volleyball. I couldn’t jump as high as some of the other girls, but I was faster so I usually got placed as the libero. Diving in the floor for the ball is so much fun. _Something about it is exhilarating._ _This longer uniform might actually help me avoid wood burn today._

Our side lost, which mattered to most of the girls on my side, but I had fun. I also needed to get to the showers before anyone else. _I know they have curtains, but I still have to strip_. A warm shower was just what I needed to stop worrying about everything. I always felt a sense of calm in the shower stalls. Maybe it’s because no one would bother me.

“Come on, (Y/N), you’re gonna be late for-” _Is that Grace? Again!?_ “Oh my god are those what I think they are?” _Yep. My life is over. Again. Who even pulls back the curtain to talk to someone. Learn some manners_. I pulled the curtain back to cover myself.

“Go to class, Grace. I’ll get a pass from Coach.”

Of course when I got back, there were even more whispers than usual. Hunny tried to ask what was wrong, but I just shrank further into my seat. I’d ask to switch schools again, but I don’t think my parents would understand and I’d miss Takashi too much. Mori, on my other side, reached down to hold my hand under our desks. No matter how discreet we were, everyone saw us. I wish we could just go back to this weekend. _When it was just us and the solitude of my bedroom._ I squeezed his hand tight, smiling and ignoring the people around me. _Sure, they’re mad because I have Takashi, but Takashi has me too. We have each other and I should find strength in that rather than fearing what people will think of it._

When the last bell rang, Mori kissed my forehead and pulled his hand away, but I pulled back. I smiled and gripped his hand a little harder. “I’m coming to club today. I think I’m ready.” He smiled one of his genuinely happy smiles and continued to hold my hand on the way to the host club. By the time we got to the club, Mori and I had somehow ended up swinging Hunny between our arms. It didn’t bother me, though. I was having fun. Walking into the club was like a scene from a movie, like there’s a room full of guys and then the doors fly open and the boss comes in. _That’s me. I’m the boss._ “Kyoya, I’m going to sit with Haruhi!”

Haruhi laughed when I sat down. “You might as well be a host with all the attention you’re getting.” The table was quiet. Most of the room was quiet. Alexandria and Joanna wouldn’t look me in the eye. Grace was just glaring at me. _I can’t believe I have to do this, but Mori is giving me that ‘go ahead’ look…_

I stood up and turned around to face the entirety of the clubroom. “For pete’s sake, you guys! I’m engaged to one of the hosts. That bitch Grace probably told you all I have hickeys too! So what!? He’s still here! So enjoy your host before he graduates. All of you. Get a fucking grip.” I was fuming, and embarrassed enough that my eyes were watering. The twins applauded my efforts, and Tamaki joined in until all the guests had turned around and finally focused on their respective hosts. Grace ran from the room fuming.

“You okay, (Y/N)?” Haruhi’s hand was on mine, patting it reassuringly. “You know, you’re great at gathering up the guests. I think some of them listen to you because they’re scared you might snatch a host away. You could use that sometime. To help the host club, I mean.” They smiled that smile that had sparkles showing up out of nowhere. “Like at the beach this weekend. The whole club is going.”

_Benio, we’re going on a trip._

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd love to hear your comments if there's something you like or think that I should change. Even little grammatical errors being pointed out is a big help to me.


	16. Shippers on the Shore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's a host club beach trip, and the reader finds out there's more than one club there with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there readers! I just thought I'd let you know I did a bunch of editing recently, so there's a lot of changes in the chapters. Nothing enough to change the storyline, but I don't think it'd be a bad idea to reread and refresh your memory.

_There are lots of things I like about the beach._ _I like the ocean, and the clear skies. I’m not a fan of sand, but I do like things that you can find in the sand, like shells. I also love the sunset. You can see it anywhere, but there’s something about seeing it drift below open waters that’s special._

It was time for the host club’s beach trip. Benio was elated when I asked her to come with. The host club was a little hesitant when I requested Benio’s company, but Haruhi thought it was a fun idea. No one argued against them. The three of us were all sprawled across a beach towel in our swimsuits. Haruhi had started wearing a swim shirt and trunks to these events so they could at least stand in the water with everyone. Benio perused the beach. There were, of course, the girls all on top of and under the hosts. There were the girls who were eyeing up the new girl, Benio, in her almost modest swimsuit. And of course there were the girls burning holes in my skull with their eyes. “Now I see.” Benio muttered. “Darling this treatment is just horrible. What am I going to do with you?”

I laughed at her teasing and fell into her lap. “Protect me, Lady Benibara! Oh, how their envy drains me! Won’t you save me from their gaze?” Haruhi and Benio laughed too, and she hugged me into her lap. It was apparent that the guests watching us didn’t bother her when she kissed my forehead.

“Forever and always, (Y/N).” Apparently the guests _were_ going to do something about this. They whispered about me cheating on Mori with this girl, and rushed off to find him. _I’m not worried. He knows how my relationship with Benio works._ He ended up coming over to our blanket anyway with a soft smile and a hoard of girls behind him. He nodded towards her and knelt next to us.

“Benio.” They shook hands while I was still in her lap.

“Mori.” Her smile towards him was almost real. “(Y/N) tells me wonderful things about you. For her sake, I have decided to tolerate you. You should be honored.” She smirked when I pushed at her shoulder. “I’m glad you’re still allowing us to be friends despite the recent feud between our clubs.” I could see the gears turning in all the girls’ heads as they tried to figure out what exactly was going on.

“It’s not my choice.” Mori spoke, taking my hand. “Who (Y/N) decides to let in her life is her choice. I’m just happy to be a part of it.” I pulled the both of them into a group hug. The girls behind us were struggling between being angry, confused, and happy for us.

“Heads up, Senpai!” Hikaru and Kaoru were running towards us. They were after a volleyball that was flying through the air. Benio was up so fast that I tumbled onto the blanket. She got in front of us and passed the ball with ease. It practically landed back in Kaoru’s hands. “Thanks, uh, Senpai.”

Benio sat back down like nothing happened. Mori left when Hunny started calling to him about crawfish or something. She was smiling. Smiling for real. When she caught us staring, she jumped. “What? I have hobbies.” _Benio never ceases to surprise me. There’s so much about her that I don’t think she gets to express unless she’s with me. She has to be a role model at her school, but here she’s just another girl. An individual._ I grinned, knowing she enjoyed the nickname Senpai instead of the title of Lady Benibara. It seemed as if a lot of girls enjoyed her display. It was cool, they said (and she also protected two hosts, so I’m sure that counted for something). She tried hard to push them away. When she joined on the trip, she promised the hosts that she was not there to steal guests. It definitely looked like that’s what was happening at the moment, though.

Haruhi stepped forward this time with one of their signature smiles. “Ladies, why don’t we go for a swim. I’m not too fond of the water, but I’d love to stay there and make sure you’re all safe.” All the girls went crazy over that little display, and even Benio was steaming. I did hear a few girls muttering about “last time” and “what if Tamaki has to save him again?" _I’ll have to ask them about that later._

“Oh mighty temptress Benibara, if you’re done tanning and gawking, why don’t we go back to the beach house.” Benio clicked her mouth shut and snatched up her beach bag. I tried and failed to stifle my giggling while I rolled up the beach towel.

Hunny and Mori had offered to let me stay in their vacation home, but I told them that I’d rather stay with Benio this time. And since Haruhi doesn’t have a beach house she’s staying with us too. I watched many girls try to persuade them into staying at their homes. Haruhi was able to turn them each down without hurting them. Back at the house, everything was calm. You could hear the waves across the sand, and there were no screaming girls. The three of us were in our pajamas watching these American movies called "The Princess Diaries." Haruhi seemed to relate to the main character, Mia, and Benio loved the way she came to rule in the sequel.

I flopped down against the couch as the credits rolled. “What do you guys think the other guests are doing? They seem like their lives revolve around the host club. Do they stew in their crushes? I’m sure some of them plan revenge plots for me and rescue missions for Takashi.” Benio laughed in response.

“Darling, I think you’re about to find out.” She was looking out the window, and then there was a knock on the door. Several girls were standing there in their pajamas with pillows and blankets. I recognized one of the girls as Joanna, and quite a few of them were Mori’s guests. A lot of them were from the group earlier today. _This can’t be good._

One girl stepped forward. She looked shy, not angry or anything like that. _That’s new._ “Hi Senpai. We were- um… We wanted to know if we could all have a sleepover together.”

“I want to meet the new girl!” One girl yelled.

Another one raised her hand. “I want to hear more about (Y/N) and Mori’s relationship.” All the girls seemed to agree on that point. They were all very excited.

_What is this?_ “Why, though? Is it for revenge? Blackmail?” All the girls looked confused by my question, and also a little defeated. Benio must’ve thought something was funny, because she was cackling on the couch. “What?”

“You’re so fucking paranoid, (Y/N)!” Benio talked between gasps and giggles. I put my hands on my hips in question and a few girls stuck their head in to see what was going on. “They’re shippers, (Y/N). You and Mr. Perfect have a fanclub of your own.” Several outside in the group blushed, and most of them nodded their heads. _Okay. I can work with this._ I opened the door further to let them in. They all awkwardly found a place to sit on the floor, and then they stared at me. Once Haruhi shut off the TV, the girls burst with questions. When did you get engaged? When did you start dating? Is Mori my first boyfriend? Is Mori a good kisser? Am I a good kisser? _Benio winked at the girls on that question._ I got flustered over many of them. One girl even had the gall to ask what it was like to have sex with Mori. I didn’t answer that one, but I did have to sit down and wheeze for a few minutes.

Then Camille, one of Tamaki’s guests, spoke up. “So, you told us when you started dating, and when you got engaged, but when did you actually fall in love?”

“Now that’s something even I haven’t heard. Please continue (Y/N).” Benio leaned forward, resting her head in her hands. Even Haruhi seemed interested in this story. They didn’t usually try to barge in on other people’s personal lives.

“Well, I- um…” My throat was dry. I wasn’t nervous. It was only that I hadn’t touched that subject before. “I’ve never thought about it. It just happened. I mean, lots of things happened that led up to that moment. Our first kiss, an accident during the host club sleepover, and some black mail from another host. Then there was him in general. I think even if I had stayed at St. Lobelia’s, I would have found Takashi. I’m not sure that soulmates is a concept I believe in, but what we have feels right. Like we've been together for years. We complement each other. I tend to be very dominant and loud whereas he’s laid back and always listening. That’s one of the things I love most about him is that he’s silent because he listens. It makes me feel safe. That safe place is what’s gotten me through all this bullshit with the girls at school that hate us, or rather me. I realized I loved him a little while after everyone found out we were dating. It’s been really rough being chased down and glared at and ostracized all the time, but he held me and told me it was okay. He said he'd choose me over being a host in a heartbeat if it ever came to that. Looking back, I think he loved me when I still only had a stupid schoolgirl crush on him. He’s the silence I needed through all of this chaos.

Everyone was blushing. Haruhi was gaping at me and Benio was smiling proudly. The both of them came up and hugged me. Benio brushed at my cheek, making me realize that I had teared up. “Thanks for asking that question. I don’t think I ever told myself those things, and I need to tell those things to Takashi too.” The girls awed and squealed and all came around the three of us for a giant group hug.

“I hope I find true love like yours someday!”

“Me too!”

“I want a prince like Mori. We all have to admit he’s way more chivalrous than Tamaki.”

Everyone, even Tamaki’s guests who were here, nodded in agreement. We all laughed. _I needed this._ The sixteen of us stayed up all night together watching sappy and powerful romance movies. _I wonder if I can call them friends. Or maybe they're only fans like Benio has._

The host club was at the door in the morning to gather Haruhi. Their coming in woke me up, and I laughed into my hand at the look on all their faces. Sixteen girls in, on, and around a blanket mountain. And all on top of or cuddled into each other. There were pillows everywhere from our pillow fight last night. Tamaki and the twins were, of course, cooing over a sleeping Haruhi. I laughed a little more as the girls started to wake up and saw the hosts standing over them. But then they saw me laughing, and then we were all laughing at the confused boys in the entrance to the beach house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've decided to start writing slightly longer chapters. Let me know if it's too much and should go back to the length I had. And please continue to let me know about any grammatical or spelling errors you find while reading.


	17. Shippers and Shipwrecks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beach trip continues, and some loose ends are tied up. Or not.

The highlight of my trip so far was definitely when Tamaki saw the pile of girls. He asked what was going on with a confused puppy look. Then all sixteen of us said “none ya’” without prompting. The shocked look in his eyes was priceless. The hosts gathered up Haruhi after a good ten minutes more of laughing (at the prince, for the most part). I expected the girls to split up after the hosts dragged us all to where the guests were meeting. They laid out their towels alongside mine and Benio’s instead. She seemed to be having a normal conversation with a few girls, no idolizing going on. I am sure that made her happy. She did tell me, though, that one of the shippers, Miranda, had caught her eye. _I don’t think Mori will mind losing one of his guests to Benio. Especially if it has nothing to do with the Zuka Club._

Benio and I decided to get into the water today. Our group joined us and we ended up throwing a ball around. _Having friends is nice. It’s been a while since I’ve had anyone more than Benio and Haruhi._ We played lots of different games there, and I learned most of the girls’ names. _There’s thirteen of them. That's quite a few names to learn._ Mori and Hunny came over when they could pull away from some of the other guests. Mori pulled me against his chest right away. It was warm from the sun. All the girls squealed at his show of affection. _Right. Shippers._

Hunny spun around in his bunny covered innertube. “So what are you ladies doing? Don’t you want to spend time with the hosts?” His eyes teared up like he wasn’t wanted.

“Of course!” Joanna stepped forward. I learned she’s the one who started this mini club. “We love spending time with our hosts! We’re spending time with (Y/N) because having different hosts means our club can’t always be together.

“There’s another club inside of the host club? Well, what is it?” Hunny stood up on his tiptoes to question us.

“Oh, yeah! We’re the (Y/N) x Mori fan club! We’re super happy for you guys and think what you have is so precious and romantic. We’re the girls that want to protect your relationship because it’s special even if you are one of our hosts.”

Mori cocked his head to the side in appreciation. “Thank you.” I told Mori about how they had shown up at the beach house with their, uh, questions.

“Are you going to tell him, Senpai?” Camille had called out. I facepalmed. Camille, I had learned, was the loudmouth of the group. All the girls leaned forward, interest piqued, and even Benio put her hands on her hips in question.

“Not right now!” I squeaked. “Um, girls, I’ve got a request for you!” _This is a bad idea but Camille’s question threw me off._ “Why don’t you guys set up a beach date for Takashi and I? It’d help a lot with the stress of the trip.” I almost couldn’t finish what I was saying because the girls were all squealing and jumping and nodding. They all ran off immediately, leaving Benio, Hunny, Mori, and I.

“What just happened, (Y/N)-chan?”

“A mess, that’s what.” Benio laughed. _Let’s hope she’s not right._

Mori didn’t seem bothered by anything that had happened. He seemed happy that we had people on our side, though. I could tell because of the way his arms relaxed around me when we were talking to those girls. He’s been more tense because of the host club lately. I can see it at school. He’s stiffer during kendo. He’s even more sensitive to his surroundings when the guests are nearby. I took his hand and kissed the knuckles. “They’re all good babe, and so are we. They don’t care if I say I love you. I love you Takashi.” I turned in his arms to give him a proper hug, and he picked me up off the ground.

“Love you too, (Y/N).” Benio started making gagging noises and I started laughing as he put me back down into the water. Mori even smiled. The twins started calling back for their senpais then, so I sat down in the water, playing with a rock under the sand.

“I can see you two are truly happy.” Benio sat next to me and winced at the cool water hitting her back. “Seeing you two, and even your host club has put some things into perspective for me. Love isn’t a temporary thing. It’s teased by clubs like theirs, even clubs like my own. Even people like… us. However, it makes people want to better themselves. You want to be better for him and I can tell he wants to do the same thing for you. It’s a beautiful thing. I might try it someday.” I caught her glancing back to where Miranda was talking with some of Mori’s other guests.

“(Y/N)-senpai!” I looked across the beach when Kaoru called my name. When I walked over, my girls were questioning the twins nonstop about things for my “date” tonight. I tried to cover my laugh while Hikaru whined. “Senpai, your club is bothering us!”

“Your club has been bothering me for weeks. So, you’re on your own. Sorry.” I only got about 10 feet away before Benio and I were hunched over and cackling. They bothered Tamaki next, and he seemed pretty upset that the bothering had nothing to do with him. The girls only glanced at Kyoya and then made their way onto Haruhi, who they politely asked for help. Haruhi was happy to help, and the fourteen of them disappeared back to the beach house. _How big is this going to be?_

It wasn’t until after dinner that Benio pointed out a few girls leaving the house with… _rope? What are they just going to tie us up together?_ Benio shrugged. “They could be hanging something up? A hammock might be romantic. Or it could be a decoration of some sort, like they’re going to wrap it around a tree and stick flowers in it?”

“Only one way to find out.”

When I got the signal to go to the meeting place, I was met there by three of my girls. I saw Taylor, Angela, and Sara… with rope… and no Mori. _Yep, they’re going to tie me up. Only me. Should’ve known there’d be stragglers._ “And what exactly are you planning to do with that?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Sara asked, dangling the rope in front of me. _How intimidating. Play dumb._

“No, it isn’t. Please explain it to me.”

Taylor huffed. “We’re gonna tie you up, and then we’re gonna go on the date with Mori.”

“And what makes you think he’d go on a date with you three when he has me?”

“We’re gonna tie you up and leave you here. We said that already. What does he even see in a dumbass like you?”

“Mhm.” _You guys are so stupid_. “And what makes you think you can tie me up?”

“Oh my god, you are so useless!” Angela yelled in frustration. “Three beats-”

I had already pushed past her, strong enough to push her into the sand, and had started running as fast as I could. When they told me they wanted me on the furthest east point of the beach, I knew it was sketchy. I was curious though, and also if something was going to happen, I couldn’t let them get away with it. The girls were close, but I still had a lead on them. _I’m athletic, but I forgot that Angela is on the track team. This could be bad. I don’t want to call for him. I’m a strong, independent woman. I can handle some… kidnappers? Is that what they are?_

“Get back here, you slut!”

“For the last time, Taylor, I’m not a slut! It’s not pervy if it’s consensual and also if we’re fucking engaged!”

I was running out of breath. They'd chased me far enough that I actually had the chance to see the actual date setup the girls had planned out for me. _Can I outswim them?_ With that thought in mind, I ran into the waters which was not my brightest moment. The girls came in after me, and I swam out enough that I could make a big semi-circle back to shore. When I turned back, they had run back to shore, supposedly to catch me off guard.

“(Y/N)! We’ll stop chasing you! Get out of there! It isn’t safe.”

“Yeah, right! I’m not falling for that!”

_I should’ve fallen for that._ The waves had been so quiet, but it was dark out now. There was a full moon. It was high tide and I was about to be shoved under by several large waves. The first one came and I held my breath, making my way back to the surface, but not soon enough. They kept coming and coming. It took everything in me to yell at the top of my lungs. _Please let him be waiting at the date spot._

“TAKASHI!”

I could hear the girls screaming at the water's edge and then there was a splash. It was probably _hopefully_ Mori diving. I don’t remember getting to shore. I do, however, remember swallowing _a lot_ of water and coming to with a killer headache. Mori was leaning over me. Probably CPR. _Was it that bad?_ The other hosts and Benio were standing in a circle. The girls were gone. I barely heard Hikaru say “Damn. First Haruhi and then (Y/N)-senpai. What is it with girls and jumping into the ocean?” _So that’s what last time means._

Benio was obviously panicking, biting at her nails and tapping her foot nervously. Mori looked ten times worse. He was still leaning over me, but he was shaking, and… _Is he crying? Did I really scare him that badly?_ I brushed my finger over his cheek like he always did when I cried. “Hey. I’m okay.” Everyone sighed audibly once I spoke and Tamaki stepped forward.

“Excuse my french, Senpai, but what the fuck happened out there? Those three girls said you went out there and wouldn’t stop for anything.”

“Don’t yell at her, Tamaki,” Mori growled, tears still in his eyes as he whipped around to face him.”She’s been through enough.”

I pushed my hand on Mori’s chest, sitting up. I coughed up more water when I did. “They made me.” Everyone looked confused. “They were chasing me. Threatening to tie me up and hide me so that they could go on my date with Mori. I got in the water to avoid them and didn’t realize the waves until it was too late.”

Mori pulled me close while Kyoya tapped at his phone. “I’m calling the Ootori Private Police Squadron.”

I jerked, “Is that even necessary?”

“Maybe not detainment, but investigation, yes. Threatening a guest and established noble is one thing. To actually attempt to tie down and stow them away is something that cannot be overlooked.”

It didn’t take long to catch the girls and they confessed to what they had done. Or rather what they tried to do. They were given a very stern talking to and their parents were all called. The three of them never returned to the club.

And I never got my beach date. _Worst trip ever._


	18. Lovers' Quarrel and Perfect Parenting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mori and (Y/N) get into a fight over what happened at the beach. Mr. and Mrs. (L/N) decide to get involved.

It had been a week since our return to the beach. Mori had been even more watchful than usual. It didn’t bother me. He wasn’t hovering over me or anything. My wellbeing had become a top priority to an extreme. It almost got in the way of entertaining his guests. Almost. He’s still the strong and silent host, so he didn’t let his worries show. It set the hosts and I on edge, though.

I had decided to continue to trust the other ten girls from the group. Today was one of the days we got a separate table instead of sitting with our hosts. Benio even joined the club on some of those days. _I’m sure that by taking the high road I made Mori happy, but I also think it’s driving his protective instincts insane._ When I asked him if he was okay, he told me he was happy for me and the friends I was making. 

By the end of the day, some of the guests had noticed his nerves. They saw through all his silence and smiles. He visibly relaxed when I grabbed his arm after they’d all left. I pat his shoulder and took a deep breath. “Babe maybe you should take a break from being a host for a few days.”

He jerked in my grasp and turned to look at me. “Who’s going to watch you then?”

“Takashi,” I laughed in a huff, “I’m a strong girl, and I’m in familiar territory. I can-”

“No, (Y/N)!” He turned all the way around, taking both of my wrists in his hands. All the hosts were looking now. _He…. yelled at me?_

I smacked his hands away from my own. “Look, I love you and I know what happened scared you. I understand you want to protect me, but you’ve got another thing coming if you think I’m gonna let you put me on a leash.” I could feel the tears starting at this point.

“You could have died, (Y/N).” He sounded defeated, but I was still angry.

“You know what? I’m grateful that you saved me, but I was scared too. Hell, I was the one drowning, I was fucking terrified! But I’ve moved on! Maybe it is stupid that I’m continuing to trust those girls. But that is _my_ choice. Not yours. If it messes with your job so much, I’ll stay away from the host club for a few days!” I turned around to grab my bag, holding back tears. I ignored the hosts that had been shocked into losing their shading. Even Kyoya’s mouth was hanging open.

I ran out of the door, trying to get out before the tears really started flowing. I heard one last thing before I made it outside.

“Senpai” Haruhi asked, “this isn’t like when Hunny had his cavity, is it?”

“No.” He whispered. “She’s really mad at me. I… how do I fix this?”

When I got home, Sophie answered the door. My father was with her. Which was a problem because I was still crying. I lunged into his arms, and he rubbed small circles on my back. “(Y/N), darling, what happened?” _Shit. What do I tell him? He doesn’t know anything real about the host club, the bullies, or what happened during the beach trip. I guess…_

“Dad, Takashi and I had a fight. I’m so mad at him, but I also feel so guilty.” It was muffled into his shirt, but he took me by the shoulders and looked into my eyes with a sad smile.

“You know you can tell me anything. If you want to, that is.” He smiled up at Sophie, who was standing there as stiff as a board. “Sophie, be a dear and bring some tea back to the study for (Y/N) and I.” She mumbled a quick "yes sir" while my father walked me down the hall. When we got there, Mom was already seated. Dad explained the situation to her while I sat on the couch across from them. Sophie came in with the tea and my father gestured forward. “Whenever you’re ready, darling. You tell us as much as little or as you like.

I decided to start at the beginning. _I’ve lied to them for so long. I’ll just leave out the gritty details. Like park benches and movie nights._ “Takashi and I had been dating for almost three months before you and Mr. Morinozuka decided on our engagement.” They listened. They didn’t seem shocked. “He walks me home from kendo instead of having Lewis come pick me up. And the host club is well, it’s weird. There’s all these girls fawning over these boys that call themselves hosts. Takashi and Haruhi are two of them. You didn’t meet the others at the sleepover. It was chaos when people found out Takashi and I were dating and then engaged. Practically the entire female population of the school hated my guts. So now there are all these bullies, and I told them off like the strong girl you guys raised me to be. It got worse during the beach trip though. Takashi and I found out we have our own fan club. They were going to set up a beach date for us.” My mother awwed at that. “Three of the girls turned out to be haters of ours though. They threatened to tie me up, so I ran out into the ocean. I got… I got swept under the waves and Takashi almost didn’t get to me in time. The girls were caught and lectured by the Ootori Police Force. Takashi has been really overprotective ever since that trip. It was suffocating, and I yelled at him.” The tears were flowing freely.

“Well” my father spoke, “that was certainly more than we were expecting.”

“Aren’t you angry?”

“Angry?” Mom chided. “You’re a teenager. We raised you well. We expect you to have secrets and be strong and get into trouble. We just didn’t think there was this much trouble. So, no, we aren’t angry, sweetheart, we’re worried for you.”

“Please don’t make me switch schools again.”

They both laughed and shook their heads. “The only other place we approve of is St. Lobelia, and we know that as much as you love Ms. Amakuza, your heart is with Morinozuka and Ouran Academy.” I hugged them both and thanked them for letting me vent and for understanding.

“(Y/N), would you allow us to visit this host club of yours?” 

I nodded. “Of course, I’ve put myself on probation for the next week though, so it will have to wait.” They both said okay and then sent me off to my room. Sophie met me there and strangled me in a hug when she saw I was still crying. Everything came pouring out. I hadn’t even told her about the beach trip because I was afraid she’d tell my parents. _She would’ve had good reason, but still._ Sophie held me and pet my hair until the tears subsided. “You want to know the best part?” I laughed. “My parents want to visit the Host Club. This is going to be a disaster.”

For the next week, I only saw Mori in class, but I ignored him as much as I could during those days. It was the hardest thing I’d done in my entire life. Especially after what he’d said. **_She’s really mad at me. I… how do I fix this?_ ** _I think we’re both in the wrong on this one, I just, I can’t stand the idea that he thinks I’m helpless._ I could tell he was crumbling. I wanted so badly to kiss him and tell him it would be okay, but I was also very stubborn. So when I started going back to the host club, I sat with Haruhi, who felt very awkward between this. The whole room was tense. The hosts kept staring between Mori and I. 

Then Friday came, and with the day, so did my parents. I tried not to make a big deal out of it, but two adults in a room full of teenagers in uniform stood out, a lot. Mori stood so fast that his chair got knocked over and away.

“Yo, Senpai! Are these your parents?” The twins ran up to greet them. “I’m Hikaru, and this is Kaoru. We’re the Hitachiin brothers.

“Yes,” Kaoru echoed. “It’s a shame we didn’t get to meet you at the sleepover. Thanks for having us.”

All the girls in the room exploded. “(Y/N) GOT TO GO TO THE HOST SLEEPOVER!?”

My father raised his hand to quiet them all. “I must apologize, but who recieved invitations was not my decision, but my daughter’s. Besides, I’m not sure we could have housed all of you.”

“And,” my mother pointed to my club’s table in the back, “we only invite people who are polite, so you ten may come next time.” The whole room was in a riot and I was cackling with the twins. My parents high fived.

This time my mother rose her hand and then gestured at Mori. “And you, young man, come here.” Mori walked from his table almost like a robot. “We have raised our daughter so she can take care of herself when we can not. Your need to protect has drowned our little girl almost as much as that beach.” All the hosts looked like they were going to drop to their knees. “I believe you have something that you need to say. You too, (Y/N).” I looked at her pleadingly. _Me too? In front of all these people?_

Mori wasted no time in pulling me into a tight hug. He bent down to put his forehead against my own. He whispered, so only we could hear. “You scared me so much. I couldn’t stand the thought of anything else happening to you, no matter how small. I’m sorry. You worry me as much as I love you.” He laughed quietly.

“I can be kind of stubborn sometimes.” I whispered. He gave me a look. “A lot of times. I just want you to know that I worry about you too. You can depend on me because I’m not helpless. I’m sorry too.” He kissed my forehead and smiled, pulling back up. 

My mother and father turned towards the door and waved. “I believe our work here is done. We will see you at dinner, (Y/N), and we expect to see Mr. Morinozuka there as well. Bye!” When they were out of the door, all the hosts and I laughed.

“(Y/N)-chan, your parents seem like a lot of fun!”

“I can see the resemblance now.” Kyoya commented. “Women who don’t take no for an answer. It’s a family trait.”

“Well, yes,” I started smiling at Mori, “but it never hurts to have a strong, loving man by your side.”


	19. Bachelors and Bachelorettes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mori and (Y/N) have parties thrown for them. There are deep feels, as per usual.

That fight brought us closer together. It was something that needed to happen. I only got to see the rough and somewhat emotional side of Mori in the dojo. He always let out most things there. I never got to see him be vulnerable, but that was something our fight _did_ show me. I also knew he cared, but it really put things into perspective of how much. So, it wasn’t fun fighting with him, but I was glad it happened.

It had been a few months since my parents had visited. The energy surrounding us ramped up for a while at the beginning. It had been dead silent compared to our normal chaos after their visit. There were whispers about us, yes, but for some reason, their visit drew the attention away from us. _Those times were so peaceful._ Now everything had long since gotten back to normal. There were normal squeals, normal tea with normal snacks, and normal obnoxious flirting. The only not normal thing was Kyoya and Tamaki requesting me. Tamaki was whatever, but Kyoya had only acknowledged me when he wanted something. Or if I was somehow in trouble with him.

After club, I made my way to the table where the two of them were waiting. Tamaki was ready to burst with excitement, so I figured I wasn’t in trouble. “What can I do for you guys?” I tried to be nonchalant about my question, but Kyoya still terrified me. _I’m sure I could win in a fight, but I’m also sure he could destroy my family penny by penny if I gave him a reason to._

“We are in need of your assistance, and this job is to be kept quiet from the others, especially Mori-senpai,” Kyoya stated. _They need my help? And it’s a secret? This can only mean trouble for me._

I nodded for them to continue, and Tamaki looked ready to explode. He managed to explode quietly. “We are going to throw Mori-senpai a bachelor party! Isn’t that fun!? It’s an American wedding custom, like a last hurrah as a single man or woman. Your part in it is that we need you to get Senpai to the party without arousing suspicion. We want it to be a surprise.”

I nodded again. “I should be able to manage that. I’ll need the when and where, and then we’ll be good to go. Although, you guys do know we still have like three more months until the wedding, right? I know the ceremony is right after we graduate, but that’s still a ways away.”

“We are well aware, Ms. (L/N). However, winter break is coming up, and with the holidays, we usually refrain from events during this time unless a certain prince has a fantastic idea. With the hosts all relatively free, it’s the perfect time to throw a small party like this. Minus Haruhi of course.”

Tamaki’s sparkle seemed to fade a little when he remembered Haruhi was a girl and couldn’t attend a bachelor party. Unless they planned on jumping out of a cake, which they would never do. “Momma-” He whimpered.

“There’s no buts about it, Daddy.” He rolled his eyes as he said the nickname. “Bachelor’s parties are for men only.”

“But what if I dress up as a woman for (Y/N)-senpai’s-” Kyoya slammed his hand over Tamaki’s mouth and pulled his pissed but still smiling face.

“Tamaki, I said no buts.”

I hummed “okay” and set off to find Mori, who seemed to have left without me. _That’s odd. He never does that. Something isn’t right here._ I asked the twins if they’d seen him, and they shrugged.

“He went towards the classrooms,” Hikaru said.

“He was with a guest.” Kaoru chimed in.

I thanked them both and headed off towards the empty classrooms. I passed eight rooms before I found them. And they were kissing. I was going to be so upset, but then I saw that Mori wasn’t kissing back. He was almost shocked still. His hands were pushing at her shoulders, but her arms were in a death grip around his neck. _She must be strong to keep Takashi from pushing her away._ He saw me and his eyes widened. He pushed harder but she just kept going. It was obvious he wanted her to stop but didn’t want to hurt her. _Does she even know I’m in the room? Because I want to hurt her._ So I grabbed the yardstick by the chalkboard and made my way behind Mori. I swung and missed his neck, meaning I hit my target. “Kote!”

The girl jumped back immediately, rubbing at her wrists. I recognized her, but I didn’t know her name or who she was.

“What the fuck, (Y/N)?! I can accuse you of assault for that!”

“Oh yeah? Well, what do you call what you were doing to Takashi?

“Kissing! He’s a host! He’s meant to be shared!”

“He obviously didn’t like what you were doing! And hosts are people. Not objects that are supposed to get passed around!”

“Well!” It was clear that the girl didn’t have a better argument because she tried to slap me. _Keyword: tried._ Ever the savior, Mori took the hit for me. And apparently she hit hard because, for a man who doesn’t emote, Mori looked pained. The girl scoffed as Mori rubbed his cheek. “(Y/N), you bitch. You turned him into such a protective little pet that he got hurt and it’s all your fault. Mori got hurt because you can’t keep your fucking hands to yourself.”

“Hey.” Mori took the girl’s hands in his like she was something precious. She looked so happy and relieved. Then he smiled. “Get out.” Damn.

“Wait, what?” I had to stifle a laugh at the confusion on her face.

“I chose to be with (Y/N). I offered. She didn’t steal.”

“Yes,” Kyoya said. _When did the other hosts gather in the doorway? How long have they been watching? Why do they always do this?_ “and (Y/N)-senpai has been kind enough to let Mori continue to be a host despite their engagement. Isn’t she kind? So tell me, what exactly has she stolen?” The girl looked around like she was surrounded by wolves.

“And as much as I hate turning away princesses, an incident at the beach brought a new policy into play.” Tamaki’s smile was sad but determined. “Any who interfere with or harm the relationship of Mori and (Y/N)-senpai are to be cut off from the host club until the two of them have graduated. So, princess, we hope to see you next school year.”

“Buh-bye.” The twins waved.

The girl ran out of the room grumbling, crying, and pulling at her hair. I turned to Mori and ran my hand lightly over his cheek. “You okay?” He nodded and kissed me hard like he was trying to get that other girl’s touch off of his lips. The other hosts turned or covered the eyes.

I brought Mori home with me that evening to help him ice his face and also to talk more about what happened. My parents had made it vaguely and explicitly clear that they knew Mori spent the night sometimes. They also made it clear that it didn’t bother them. _Or at least, it doesn’t bother Mom._ “As long as you’re not too loud about it.” She'd say. Mori looked as though he could’ve died when she told us that. I had been laughing too hard at Mori’s reaction to actually be embarrassed.

I woke up in the morning to a text message from Kyoya, giving me the details about where to bring Mori for his party. The morning was uneventful. We kissed and cuddled, and then we did a little more than cuddling. Then Mori took me out for lunch and we visited our park afterward. We found ourselves in our gazebo once more. We couldn’t do much other than lean against each other and watch the park. It was daytime and there were other people there, but it was nice. It felt like a lazy day. And then the time came for Lewis to drop Mori off at Hunny’s house where the party took place. The hosts welcomed him in like they do their guests and I had thought that that was hilarious. “Have fun!” I patted him on the back and turned around to go home.

When I got home, I was in for a surprise of my own. Sophie led me up to my room, where a shimmering red dress had been laid out on my bed. She made me put it on and then she led me to that same giant lounge where we’d held the sleepover. There waiting for me was my mother, Benio, Haruhi, and the ten girls from my club. There were games laid out and non-alcoholic drinks in wine glasses. A giant cake and some of my favorite meals were out on a table by the wall. “Is this… Am I having a bachelorette party right now?” Most of the group said yes in unison, and then Haruhi stepped up.

“The guys were throwing Mori a party, and I thought you deserved one too. So Kyoya helped me contact your mom and we set it up from there. I hope you like it.” I did like it. Everything looked beautiful. But I still couldn’t stop thinking of Mori. _Is that girl right? Takashi told me he likes that I’m in control most of the time. But am I too controlling?_ Benio snapped me out of it and dragged me over to the table to have “drinks” with her.

The lot of us later played spin the bottle. When it landed on you, you had to tell your favorite memory of “the happy couple.” A.K.A. Takashi and I. Some girls had talked about the time I put my foot down and called out Grace for being a bitch. Benio talked about Mori walking in on a pile of sleeping girls. It was the way I had laughed at him and he had softly smiled back. My mother had brought up a time we were “studying” too loudly. I tried to move on to the next person, but everyone wanted to hear all the juicy details.

When the bottle landed on me, I had to think a little. _I have favorite stories, but they aren’t all ones that I’m willing to share._ “I guess- my favorite memory is- well… Takashi tells me he loves me all the time, right? But I’ve come to learn he’s really shy about his feelings. Even around me. Especially around me. But on that night after our first, uh… study date, he told me why he loved me and why he thought I was special. He told me that he loved that I was a dominant person, but I still had the ability to cry in front of others. He likes that I’m not afraid to say ‘no’ and that I’d do anything for my friends. He enjoys watching me have fun, whether that’s at school, or in the club, or at the dojo. Takashi said most of all, he loves that I chose him. On that first day, we met and I couldn’t look away. When we held hands in the courtyard on my first day at Ouran. That night that I asked to kiss him first under the full moon. On the day the school found out and we decided we didn’t care. That evening after school when his dreams came true and we got engaged. He said that even if we fight, he could never be happier than when he’s with me.”

Haruhi laughed, blushing and tearing up like everyone else. “I guess you could say you’re the strong and he’s the silent type.”


	20. Update for My Readers

Hello readers! Sorry this isn't an actual chapter. I wanted to update you guys on some things. 

  1. We're getting close to the end, y'all! I'm currently stuck on ideas though. I should've planned my timeline better.



  1. I'm in a really bad place right now. Quarantine has not being kind to me.



  1. Thank you to everyone who votes/gives kudos and comments on my work. Hearing from y'all means the world to me.



  1. All in all, I'm struggling to write so I might not post for a while. I just want you all to know I haven't given up on this story, I'm just taking a bit of a hiatus.



Thank you for your patience and understanding.

  * BringBackMaes14




	21. Double Dates and Diamonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mori and Benio are plotting together. That's... dangerous. Maybe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Sorry for not updating for a LONG time. We're getting close to the end. I have it all set up, I'm just struggling to make the last chapter or two work. Thank you so much for your patience. I'll try to work harder because I love hearing what you guys think of my work.

I didn’t really see any of the hosts other than Mori and Haruhi over the rest of winter break. However, when I did see them again, they were very focused on me. Moreso than usual. The twins came up to me at one point and didn’t even say anything. They just laughed with knowing grins. Tamaki was constantly red-faced and looking like he was going to combust. And Hunny just watched Mori and I with a smile he usually only gives Usa-chan. _It’s kind of all giving me the creeps._

I asked Haruhi if they knew what was going on, and they said they didn’t know. They looked like they were telling the truth. I put the pieces together about a week after we returned to school. _I’m kind of ashamed to say it took me that long._ I was sitting with my club. They were quietly chatting with each other when I slammed my fist down on the table. “Girls, something happened at the bachelor party and we need to find out what.” Some of the girls at surrounding tables got excited at the idea of Mori’s bachelor party with the hosts.

“Did you try asking Haruhi?’

“Yeah,” I sighed. “They don’t know anything.”

“But they were at the bachelor party, right?” A girl from outside my group asked asked. “You said all the hosts went.”

 _Shit. I keep forgetting other people don’t know._ I panicked and waved over at Haruhi. They walked over calmly. “What’s up?”

The girls all swooned at their casual greeting, then the girl raised her hand. “Did you not go to Mori-senpai’s bachelor party?”

Haruhi caught the gist of my panic and smiled sweetly at the girls, lying to the ones who didn't know their secret. “I didn’t. When my mom was still here, she thought New Year’s was the best holiday. She wanted us to celebrate for several days at the end of the year, even though we didn’t have much. So I tried to spend as much time with my dad as possible so we could continue to live in that happy memory we had.” _I don’t know if Haruhi made that story up or if it’s true and I made her leave Ranka alone, but damn, they’re good._ Even I had teary eyes once Haruhi finished their story. The twins came around handing out tissues and using some themselves.

“How thoughtful. I see now.” Alexandria nodded, playing along. “Your love for your family is so admirable, Haruhi.” I smiled at Haruhi and they left to go back to their own table. Then Benio showed up and draped herself over my shoulders.

“Hello, darling.” All the girls at the table turned the funniest shade of red when Benio kissed my cheek. I laughed and turned to hug her. 

“Ms. Amakuza,” Kyoya called, “what did we say about seducing our guests?”

Benio huffed in annoyance but soon regained her graceful demeanor. “Now how is it my fault if one of your beautiful young maidens decides to take a dip in the other side of the pool? The only person I’m trying to seduce here is (Y/N) and it obviously isn’t working.” She was lying a little though, as she turned and winked at Miranda over at Mori’s table. “Besides, they’re still people, just like you. If Morinozuka doesn’t belong to the guests, then why should any of these girls belong to you hosts. They should be free to love inside and outside of this club. So if a girl catches my eye, I have the right to try and seduce her with her consent. Your profits and headcount shouldn’t matter in this situation, Ootori.” 

The room was silent and Benio smirked with her hands on her hips. There was obviously nothing logical that Kyoya could retort with. He just started scribbling away in his little black notebook and went back to his table. “Speaking of loving outside of the club, “ Benio started up again, “why don’t we go on a double date? This Saturday?” It sounded like fun.

“So you and that girl of Takashi’s are really hitting it off, huh?” Benio blushed and covered her face, something that surprised me.

“We may have… gone on a date or two.” All the shippers at the table were squealing with delight and Benio just turned a darker shade of red. I came to realize, not long after Benio met Miranda, that she was all talk. When it came to the real thing, actual crushes and stuff, she was a mess. I convinced her to take all the advice she had given me but she still seemed a little clumsy.

I smiled. “A double date sounds like a lot of fun, Benio.”

When Saturday came, I received a text saying “dress nice.” So Sophie and I spent an hour and a half picking out a dress and ended up going with the one that I had picked up three times and set back down. Sophie grinned largely as she pushed me out the front door to Charley, who was waiting to open the limo door for me. I thanked him, and when I got inside I saw that Mori, Benio, and Miranda were already in the car. I was so excited. No one had told me anything about where we were going or what we were doing. It was supposed to be a surprise, but the thing that had me confused was that I was the _only_ one who didn’t know. 

It was early evening when we had been picked up, so we started off by going to see a movie. We saw a movie that was actually romantic this time, unlike the time Mori and I just laughed at what wasn’t supposed to be a rom-com. Halfway through the movie, I looked over and saw Miranda leaning against Benio’s shoulder. I smiled at Mori, happy that our friends were getting along so well. He squeezed my hand and wrapped his arm around my shoulder. 

After the movie, we all went to dinner. We went to a burger joint and probably stuck out like a bunch of sore thumbs in our formal wear. Miranda and I asked a lot of questions about St. Lobelia and then I asked some more about their relationship. Miranda was very shy and it was easy to make her blush. Benio loved that about her. Miranda then asked some questions about Mori and I. She liked us together, she just hadn’t been a very prominent part of my club group so she didn’t know as much as some of the other girls.

"So how did you two meet?"

I thought about it for a minute then grinned. "You can actually thank Benio for that." Benio looked shocked, but Mori nodded. "If it weren't for my friendship with Benio, I never would've been run out of Lobelia by angry fangirls. I transferred to Ouran and I guess my dad helped too because he signed me up for Mr. Morinozuka's dojo, but in all of that, I got to meet Takashi."

"Thanks, Benio." 

"So…" I grabbed Mori's arm and snuggled in tight. "What's next?"

"Actually darling, this is where we head out. Take care of her, Mori." Benio and her date paid and left the table giggling. _I wonder what's up with them._

After dinner, Charley drove us back towards my house. "Hey Takashi, did something happen at the bachelor party? Most of the hosts were acting weird around me."

Mori sighed into his hand. "Yeah. They tried to get me to tell embarrassing stories and I broke."

I blushed. "What kinds of embarrassing stories?" My interest was piqued. _Did he tell them the dirty stuff???_

"Just… why I love you, when it happened, stuff like that."

"So our parties were the same." I laughed.

Then Charley pulled over by the sidewalk. "Do you want to go for a walk?" I nodded and took his hand. It was quiet out and a little chilly. Mori’s hand was warm in mine. I realized he was leading me to the park, and I smiled. The little gazebo at the park was one of my favorite places to be. I had so many memories there. _Although most of them are just about kissing._ I looked up at Mori, and he seemed nervous. I couldn’t think of a reason why, though. Everything was going so well. It worried me a little bit.

“Are you okay?”

“(Y/N).” We had reached the gazebo. He took both of my hands. _He’s talking so much tonight. This has to be something big._ “I’m not very good at expressing myself; we both know that. But I want to make sure you know that you mean absolutely everything to me. And I know our engagement was already decided, but I wanted to do it right. On my terms.” He got down on one knee and shuffled through his pocket. In his hand was a ring box with a beautiful golden crossover ring holding two diamonds blue like the night sky. “Will you marry me?” I was speechless. I hadn’t seen this coming. _Who all was in on this? Was this decided at the bachelor party? Do my parents know this is going on?_

“Absolutely, Takashi.” I laughed and cried happy tears while he slipped the ring on my finger. I lunged into him causing him to drop the ring box in surprise. I kissed him like my life depended on it. He picked me up and swung me around. “I can’t believe you did all this. How many people knew?”

“Just Benio.” I looked at him in awe. _I could’ve sworn all the hosts knew. Maybe it really had been just the stories making them crazy._

“So tell me,” I pulled him up to sit in the gazebo. “when _did_ you fall in love with me?”

Mori jumped a little. “Well, I think I liked you since I first met you. But the love came a few days after you met the host club. You were strong, seeing Tamaki on the floor was surprising, but still amusing. And then after Kyoya outed you, you were so openly emotional. The fact that you speak your mind and stand up for yourself is really… attractive to me. You aren’t like the other girls I see every day.” Mori was blushing furiously and it was kind of endearing to see.

I laid over his lap and reached my hand out to admire the ring. “For me, it was when the school found out about us.” Mori looked confused. “Don’t get me wrong, the girls were horrible, but you’ve been with me the entire time I’ve been bullied and shut out. You’ve taken care of me and taught me when it’s the right time to shout out, and when silence is needed. I love you, Takashi.” 

It was getting late so Mori walked me the rest of the home. He actually ended up carrying me since I’d been wearing heels all night. On nights when I was too tired or my feet were hurting he carried me home, and my parents had long since accepted that sometimes he’d just show up at their front door with their daughter in his arms. Just like they’d accepted that sometimes Mori stayed over and their daughter woke up in that boy’s arms. When we arrived, Sophie opened up the door. The first thing I did, before Mori could even put me down, was put my hand out in Sophie’s face to show off the ring. She screamed. Actually screamed. My parents came running to the door and Mori put me down. They saw the ring and they started yelling happily too. My father congratulated Mori on finally proposing properly, and my mom kissed his cheek and held his hands. “My wonderful son to be.” She said.

_I wonder how all of the host club members will react._


	22. A Jealous Mori is a Wild Mori

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (Y/N) starts getting guests of her own. Persistent guests. Mori doesn't like it one bit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slow updates but I thank all of y'all for being patient with me! We're almost at the end. Enjoy (beware?) this random smut chapter.

Mori and I weren’t too worried about how the host club would react to the ring. I said I wanted to show it off to Haruhi and my friends, and he shrugged and said it was my ring. The ring didn’t catch too many eyes. It didn’t matter though because most people at school knew we were engaged already; this just confirmed it. Of course, a Tamaki in his natural habitat is still attracted to shiny objects. He zeroed in on me like he did that first day of my club.

“YOU PROPOSED AND DIDN’T INVOLVE US?”

_Oh my lord. “_ NOT EVERYTHING IS ABOUT YOU SENPAI, LEAVE THEM ALONE,” Haruhi yelled.

I laughed behind my (non-ring) hand and everyone just stared at us. _What else is new?_ “Mori-senpai?” Kyoya asked. “Are you trying to gain good graces with (Y/N)’s father with that?”

I looked down and realized what Kyoya meant. This was a ring from one of my own family’s jewelleries. So Takashi put good money and thought into making sure I was happy _and_ my parents were happy. _What a guy._ I smiled and Mori scratched nervously at the back of his head. “This means a lot to me Takashi.” His eyes went wide. _Did he think that would bother me? I’m only bothered by the fact that it took me this long to realize it._

That day had been one of the days where my club didn’t meet, which meant I had got to sit with Haruhi and their guests. When I got over there, the guests were murmuring about how Haruhi had yelled at Tamaki-senpai and he automatically hid in a corner. I laughed and thanked Haruhi. They brushed it off and asked if I wanted to help them make some tea for the guests. I agreed. _What’s Haruhi up to? They usually like to have this time for themselves._

“Sorry to bring you back here. I wanted to ask if I could see your ring, but I didn’t want to bring more attention to you.” I laughed and held out my hand. “It’s so… bright. I can’t imagine wearing anything this expensive.”

“To be fair, Haruhi, I don’t think I can either. Mori won’t tell me how much this costs, but I bet it’s a lot.” Haruhi and I both shrugged and made the tea for the guests. Tamaki stopped me on my way out of the room. He took the tray and set it on a nearby table, then dragged me back into the room.

“(Y/N)-senpai, I’ve been keeping an eye on you and I have a proposition for you. How would you like to work for the host club? You’d _technically_ be our first hostess. And you wouldn’t have to change a thing you’re doing. You already help make tea and coffee with Haruhi, and you have customers of your own. You may even be able to bring in some male customers. Kyoya says this could really help the damage you’ve caused to the host club already.” I frowned at his last statement but did think about it. _It sounds fun, and as he said, I pretty much already do it. It’ll give me something to do on my off days._

“Okay.”

“Really? You don’t want to check with Mori-senpai first?”

“He trusts me. He’s also not the boss of me.”

So, a week later, there was a big promotional event for “the Host Club’s first hostess.” I was requested by a few girls, but there were so many boys that I had to have two tables. I was excited though. I didn’t really know any of the guys at the school and I still had two months to meet some before graduation.

Wesley and Michael were my first guests. Wesley was a little hyperactive, and Michael was very level-headed but still fun. Then there was Trevor, who didn’t talk much, and Sam, who was very flirty. I was told that it was my job to make every girl and boy happy. There were just so many of them. _I don’t know how the hosts all keep up._

Every once in awhile, Haruhi would come to check on me, and Tamaki would give me a thumbs up from afar. It felt nice to be watched over while I tried out this new thing. It had been pretty easy so far. Most of my guests talked amongst themselves but listened when I told a story (mostly the ones that didn’t have to do with Mori.) And then there was Sam who was very talkative and wanted almost all of my attention. None of the girls had ever been like this. It started off with simple questions. “What’s your favorite thing about being a hostess?”

“Getting to meet new people, and entertain,” I replied.

Then the questions got a little more personal. “Who’s the ring from? Are you actually in love with the guy or was it just arranged?”

I fidgeted in my seat and the whole table stared at him. _Does he really not know? Or is he playing dumb? We were and are the talk of the school._

“I-”

“You don’t have to answer his questions (Y/N).” One of the girls said.

“It’s okay. Everyone else knows. I’m engaged to Mori, one of the other hosts. And the marriage wasn’t _just_ arranged. Does that answer your questions, Sam?”

“Why him?”

“What?”

“Why him? Why not one of us normal guys? We can take care of you, beautiful.” The other boys at the tables more or less all nodded.

“What do you mean normal? You’re all beautiful young men. I’m sure any girl would be lucky to have you.”

“So don’t you want to be lucky?”

Sam was leaning in closer when Haruhi showed up. “We need to make another pot of tea, (Y/N) the guests are almost out.” They pulled me up and took me to the back room with the tea sets.

“Are you alright?

“Yes, but do you get guests like that at all?”

“Well, one of Tamaki’s guests hated me when I started. She thought I was stealing all of Tamaki’s attention so she accused me of going down on her and she threw all of my things into the pond out front.” _That sounds awful._

Sam was gone when I came back to the table. There was no way of telling what happened, but most of the boys kept their heads down. The day continued on quietly and after everyone had left, Mori stated that he and I would clean up for the day. There wasn’t that big a mess.

When all the hosts had left and we were alone in the room, Mori dragged me into one of the back rooms and slammed me into a wall, kissing me roughly. I gasped in surprise. _What the hell has gotten into him?_

He pulled away and rested his head against my shoulder. “Is this what it feels like?” He whispered. “Every day that I’m a host, does the jealousy just light you on fire, even just because of little words?” _He was… jealous? Of Sam? Or of the whole group?_

“Hey,” I put my arms around his neck. “I’m yours. Always.” He held me up against the wall and kissed me again. His kiss was possessive and relentless. My legs felt like they were going to give out, I was so happily light-headed. “Takashi-” I moaned and he pulled me up so my hips were trapped between his and the wall with my legs wrapped around his waist. His lips ghosted over my neck. Mori was in a hurry to pull my dress off, and seeing him wanting to touch me so badly made me feel hot all over. I tried to slide up to help him get my dress off but I ended up rubbing against him and he stilled, letting out a deep sigh.

I started undoing his tie and the buttons of his shirt as he mouthed around my bra. “Takashi- stop.” He stilled immediately and looked over me with concern as if he’d hurt me. “Let me take care of you.” He nodded slowly, letting me down onto the floor. I got down onto shaky knees and started undoing his belt. I smiled to myself as I ran my hand over the thick ridge in his boxers. I pulled down his underwear and sucked slowly at the head of him. _I like doing this. I hate the taste, but it makes Takashi feel good. I love making him feel good. I’ve only done this once, but I think I got the gist of what he likes._

I held him at the base, just tight enough to keep him on edge. Then I took in as much of him as I could and came back halfway. I pulled back and licked over his tip, letting him leak against my tongue until he was pulling me away by my hair. I groaned at his rough tug. “Shit.” He said. “I don’t have-”

“My bag. Left inner zipper pocket.” His eyes widened, but there was no way I was ever going anywhere with him unprepared. _You never know when Mr. Wildman’s switch may flip like it did today._ He grabbed a condom out of my bag and pulled it over himself as he walked over. I didn’t give him a chance to bend down to me. I stood and bent over with my hands planted on the wall.

“You’re so beautiful.” He pulled my underwear down my legs and pushed himself all the way in one swift motion. The sound he let out was deep and guttural. His movements were swift like everything wasn’t enough. But everything was so much. It had been a while and everything was so tight. I started moving back against him and it made all the difference. I cried out in joy. I loved Mori so much that it hurt. He bent over my back, changing the angle and reaching for my clit. He kissed my shoulder. “Please never leave me.” His movements slowed to a careful, loving pace. 

“Never.’ I collapsed against the wall upon my release, startling Mori. I turned around and blushed, realizing he hadn’t finished yet. “Sorry.” I rubbed him over the condom and that little touch was enough to send him over the edge. He tied off the condom but I shook my head and held out a paper bag. “We can’t throw this away here. They’ll know it was us.” He nodded and dropped it in the bag which I folded up and cringed as I put it in my bag. As we got redressed and left, I only had one thought. _I hope Sam comes back. A jealous Mori is a wildman Mori._

And when we got back to school the next day, no one knew a thing. Which was surprising. _Something always goes wrong for us. Why is everything normal?_ That was until Kyoya _(the rat)_ came by and whispered, “You two did a horrible job cleaning up yesterday. There was a plant knocked over and a rug flipped completely upside down. It’s almost as if you weren’t cleaning at all yesterday.” My face bloomed red and Mori’s did the same. “But who knows?” He smirked and walked away, although I could see that his cheeks were a little pink when we didn’t deny anything.

_Someday I’m going to strangle him._


	23. Wedding Plans and Chocolate Pans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's one month until the wedding. And it's Valentine's day. So there's gifts and shopping galore.

The thing I loved the most about Valentine’s Day was chocolate. The smell was in every store and all over the school. There were basic little candies and there were giant sculptures and fountains. And this year, I had people to make chocolate for other than my family (staff included.) Actual friends. An actual boyfriend. _There's going to be so much chocolate._

I had been in the kitchen with my mom, dancing around and making chocolate; we always did this together. We played loud music that was just for us. If Dad didn’t like it then he went to his study. He usually let this be girl time anyway. We made chocolate together for White Day, and Mom pretended to be surprised every year. 

We had all kinds of baking molds, and mom was actually pretty skilled with modeling chocolate. And we made all different kinds. Jenny liked chocolate coconut candies. Dad, Benio, and the twins like caramel-filled chocolates. Hunny and Sophie like chocolate-covered strawberries. Tamaki liked dark chocolate and Lewis liked white chocolate. Kyoya and Haruhi expressed no interest in receiving chocolate. And Mori… _I’m not sure what he likes. He’s never really said if he likes sweets before. I’ve seen him eating cake before. Hmm…_ “Mom, can we make chocolate cake pops for Takashi?”

“Whatever makes the bride and groom happy.”

She said it so nonchalantly that it threw me off guard. “Why’d you say it like that?”

“Well, the wedding is just shy of two months away dear. I thought you’d be thinking about this all the time. Have you even started planning yet?”

“Of course Mom, I’m not stupid,” I muttered. “Takashi and I have picked colors: royal purple, cherry blossom pink, and cream. We want to get married in the Host Club’s music room because it’s beautiful and holds so many great memories for both of us. I want my maid of honor to be Benio, and my bridesmaids will be Haruhi and Sophie. The girls I’m inviting to the wedding have been sworn to secrecy on Haruhi’s situation since the bachelorette party. Takashi’s best man is going to be Hunny, and his groomsmen will be his younger brother Satoshi and Tamaki. The ring bearers are the twins, and Kyoya is helping to organize the wedding and reception and make sure we’re not spending too much unnecessarily. The guys even all already have their suits picked out.” I started counting out on my fingers. “I just need to find a dress, decide on the decorations with the help of the Hitachiin brothers, pick food and a cake and finish up the guest list. I think that’s it.”

My mom looked a little surprised. _Did she really think Takashi and I just fucked around when we were up in my room? I mean, she’s kind of right. I did tell him I planned on being forty percent needier._ Suddenly, Sophie burst through the door. “Did you say you haven’t found a dress yet? Can I come when you do?” I laughed at her eager face and nodded.

“Well, what are we waiting for?” My mother cheered.

“Um, for the chocolate to cool.”

“Right.” We spent another hour or two finishing up the chocolates and cleaning up. Then I called Benio, Haruhi, and the twins (who had the design taste of their talented mother) saying we were going to dress shopping. They were all excited. Haruhi was more excited than I expected them to be. Apparently they enjoyed doing girly stuff every once in a while. 

The dress shop was interesting. One side was full of stark white wedding dresses with the occasional splash of color. The other side of the store was an unorganized rainbow full of prom dresses and bridesmaids dresses. We started on the colorful side where Sophie, Haruhi, and Benio went through the racks to find things they were comfortable with. The twins judged, but I got the final say. Benio tried on a short-sleeved red dress (they can come in different colors) that was a little tight and barely came down to the knee. Haruhi pulled out a calf-length Ouran blue dress that was exposed at the shoulders. I liked it, but I still wanted to keep looking. The twins wanted them to try on everything. Finally, after a few minutes of browsing and going back and forth, Sophie pulled out a dress that she said she loved. I told her to try it on, and when she came out, I knew this was the dress for all of them. It was pink with lace long sleeves. The dress came down over the knees in a bell shape, and I knew it’d look beautiful on each one of them. The brothers approved too.

As for my dress, I knew what type I wanted. As much as I hated Ouran’s uniform, I was in love with the idea of a big poofy ball gown. I tried on quite a few, ones with and without sleeves, ones with sequins and ones with no back. Most of them were vetoed by the group. Something just didn’t look right, and it didn’t feel right either. Then I saw my mom whispering to one of the employees. They nodded and ran into the back. _Did she have dresses already picked out for me?_ Then I saw a rack being rolled out full of… purple wedding dresses. My eyes widened and my smile grew. The twins looked at each other and shrugged. I tried one on that was completely purple, and it felt like a prom dress; it was too colorful. Then I tried on one that was white with purple sequins and that was just tacky. The third one I tried on, I loved. It was a large ball gown with an illusion lace neckline. It was white along my chest and torso, but below my hips, it was a beautiful ombre of white fading into a deep purple. It was the prettiest thing I’d ever seen.

“Get the veil and the jewelry.” My mother called out. People came rushing out with a veil long enough that it still trailed back over my large skirt. They gave me pink diamond stud earrings and a teardrop necklace with the same stone. When I looked in the mirror, I cried, and everyone applauded. _This is the one._

“Mom, can I get it with these accessories exactly?”

“Anything to make my little bride happy.” I laughed and smiled and pulled everyone into a group hug, careful not to let them step on my dress or veil.

“You have better taste than we thought you would, Senpai.” Both the boys got knocked over the head by the four women with me.

“Ow,” Kaoru whined.

“That was a compliment!”

I laughed some more and patted the boys’ heads gently. “Well, thank you then. For the compliment and for coming to help. I’m sure being surrounded by girls that are actually pretty on your day off is hard.” I teased. Haruhi tried not to smile and Benio actually snorted at my quip. The boys stuck their tongues out at us.

Later at home, we had to hide the dress in a guest bedroom closet so Mori and my father wouldn’t see it. We finished up with the chocolate and packed it all up. 

Two days later, it was Valentine’s Day. I hadn’t realized how many people I’d made chocolate for until I tried to shove it all in a basket to take to school with me. Pretty much all the people I wanted to gift it to I didn’t see until the host club in the afternoon. I started out with Haruhi. She didn’t want any, but I made her some anyway, that she could share with her dad. “Tell Ranka I said hi.” They nodded. After that, I carried my heavy basket over to my table of shippers (I still didn’t have regular guests after these few weeks.) They were all ecstatic that I made them all chocolate, and most of them actually made chocolate for Mori and I too. “Happy Valentine’s Day, girls. You know I think of you as more than just followers. I’m lucky to be friends with each of you.” Some girls swooned and some smiled. They all got up to hug me. 

I made my rounds with the hosts next. First, the twins, who I thanked for helping me pick out dresses. Next was Tamaki, who was grateful for the chocolate, but still grumpy that he didn’t get invited to see Haruhi try on dresses and “those idiots” did. _Dude, it was my dress day. Not Haruhi’s. Be excited for me._ After that was Hunny, who was very excited about the strawberries. Apparently, no one had given him those before. Then Kyoya. He asked me not to make him chocolate, but I did just to spite him. Just plain milk chocolate. He actually looked kind of happy though after I walked away. Lastly, Mori. _God, I hope he likes them._

When I got over to his table, he was receiving chocolates from the girls at his table. _He better keep those. I know he’ll only want my chocolate, but that is perfectly good candy he’s getting. I will eat that for him._ “Hey, Takashi.” He turned and his smile softened.

“Hey, (Y/N).” I blushed and held out the box of cake pops. _Why am I suddenly so nervous?_ Well, it’s because I didn’t start the PDA this time. He took the box and pulled me into a hug. Then he kissed me on the forehead and let me go. You could hear the squealing of the girls at my back table. 

“I hope you like them. I couldn’t think of what to make for you, but I’d seen you eating cake with Hunny before. It’s kinda weird that I don’t know that considering we’ve been dating for almost a year.” We both laughed. “I can’t believe it’s been that long. Ooh! Babe, we should have a chocolate fountain at the wedding!”

Mori nodded. “Anything to make my bride happy.” I smiled. _Gross, he sounds like mom._

“Hey, Kyoya!” I called across the room. “Is that cool for the budget?”

“Well, according to Mr. and Mrs. (L/N), the budget is ‘whatever makes the bride and groom happy’ so I believe you are within your budget.” I broke down laughing. It seemed to really bother Kyoya that we didn’t have a real budget and he was just watching the numbers gradually go up. Anything that bothered Kyoya and only Kyoya (not that harmed him, just bothered him) made me smile.

And no one really bothered us even though I stood out with all that chocolate. Maybe it was because it was Valentine’s Day, so maybe they thought they had to give us that day. Although, the look on the girls’ faces when we were done for the day and I swiped all the chocolate off of Mori’s table and into my basket was priceless. They looked so offended. And Mori just smiled and shook his head. “What? I know you’re only gonna eat mine and those girls put a lot of work into their candy. Probably. You can’t just let it go to waste.”

“Alright.”


	24. Farewell Festivities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mini graduation party courtesy of the host club!

After Valentine’s Day, time passed by quickly. March crept up on me. There was going to be a miniature graduation party courtesy of the host club for all the lovely ladies (and Hunny and Mori) who would be leaving the club behind. Tamaki was ecstatic about having a big party, but he bawled the moment his brain connected the pieces of congratulations and goodbyes. I laughed when Tamaki pulled Hunny, Mori, and I into a group hug and blubbered about never seeing us again. Hunny teared up at the thought too.

“This isn’t goodbye forever, you guys,” I said, prying them off of me. They both still had watery puppy dog eyes. I patted both of their heads. “We’re still gonna be friends. More than that we’re still gonna be-” I hesitated, preparing myself for a smothering hug from the prince. “You know, a family.” Tamaki did, in fact, smother me and Hunny gripped at my dress and smiled up at me.

“Do you really mean it, (Y/N)-chan?” I took his hands and spun him around.

“Of course silly. Just because the three of us aren’t a part of the host club anymore doesn’t mean that the eight of us can’t still hang out together outside of school. And maybe the headmaster will even be kind enough to let us visit sometimes. We could help with special events.”

Kyoya came over and pulled Tamaki off of my side. “I do hope you’ll hold yourself to that. Coming back, I mean. The club could take a serious hit without two of its hosts and its leading lady.” I blushed and gave him a questioning look. Kyoya nodded.

“Well, you aren’t getting rid of us for two more weeks. So what can I do to help with this big party?” 

Kyoya pushed his glasses up and opened up his little black notebook. “We seem to have everything under control. You should consider writing a farewell speech, though. Share your last words and fondest memories with the club members you’ve spent the year with.”

“Me?” I pointed at myself and then gestured to the other two third years standing next to me.

“You’ve brought a lot of chaos and change to our club. I’m sure our guests would love to hear from their hosts, and I mean no offense, but I doubt we’d receive wholesome speeches from a man of few words or one who tears up when leaving friends for only the weekend.” Mori shrugged. Hunny squeezed my hand and told me that Kyo-chan was right. I nodded to Kyoya, accepting the challenge. “I know you’ll do great, Miss (L/N). After all, you’ve never had a problem speaking your mind. Right?”

He smirked and walked away with Tamaki in tow. The tips of my ears burned as I recalled the many times I smartmouthed him and spoke out against the guests and other students.  _ Not my proudest moments.  _ We all separated and went back to our own tables. I racked my brain for ideas. So much had happened since I transferred to Ouran.  _ How can I write a speech that isn’t three hours long? _ I asked my friends what their favorite moments were from the past year. Camille said her favorite part of the year had been the summer trip, and setting up the date spot for Mori and I.  _ It’s a shame we never got to use it.  _ Another girl said my first day here was her favorite because I caused such a commotion and really spiced the club up after that. Every girl’s answer after that had something to do with me, or Mori and I, and it really touched my heart.

When I got home, I asked my parents if they had given speeches at their graduation ceremonies. My father hadn’t but my mother said she had. “I didn’t speak at graduation per se, but I did give a speech to my closest friends at our after-party. There were probably a hundred or two at the after-party.”  _ A hundred or two? How popular were you, Mom? _

Dad laughed at that. “What a night! Someone had spiked the punch and you’d had your fair share.” My jaw dropped. “You spoke well for someone who couldn’t stand straight.” My mother fidgeted in her seat and avoided eye contact with me.

“Never mind that, (Y/N). The most important thing about a farewell speech is to tie up loose ends. Speak from the heart.” Dad snorted and she hit his arm.

“Is that what you called it?”  _ What the hell did Mom say at that party?  _ I snickered at my dad’s uncontrolled laughter and soon Mom was grinning too.

“I’m sure you’ll be amazing. This will be good practice too.” I tilted my head in confusion. “Your vows, darling. I’m sure you haven’t written them yet.” I stiffened guiltily. “You go start on that, I have a speech to give your father about discretion.” Dad sank into the couch and I cackled as I walked out the door.  _ What a pair. I hope we stay happy together like them.  _

The weekend came and the music room had slowly been transformed into a party palace. There was an excessive hors d’oeuvre table and the whole room was decorated in white ribbons and streamers. Fairylights hung from the ceiling, creating an ambient glow. All the boys were in stiff black suits and ties, and the girls all wore beautiful kimonos and hakama. 

Benio met me at the door with Miranda on her arm. “You look radiant as always, (Y/N).” I was glad to see her, and that the hosts had been generous enough to invite her to their party. The twins had made a point that she was always barging into the club anyway, so they couldn’t really stop her from coming if she wanted to. She was considered a guest now, even though she was from a different school. Benio stepped away from Miranda momentarily and hugged me tightly. “Are you ready to graduate?”

I shook my head against her chest. “Not at all. There are so many more memories I still want to make with all of these people.”

“I heard you’re giving the big speech tonight. I have faith that it will be one of the greatest farewell speeches ever written. I can’t wait to hear it. Now go have fun, darling.” She spun me around before I could get another word in and pushed me ahead where Mori had been waiting patiently. Or rather he had been crowded and was only focusing on me. There was a swarm of girls crying or barely holding in their tears congregated around him. I expected nothing less. They were going to miss him. I would too if I were in their shoes.  _ But I’m not.  _ I pushed my way through the girls and grabbed Mori’s arm. 

“Don’t you worry girls. If allowed, we plan on coming back next year for big events. Takashi may be a married man by then, but I don’t mind sharing for a little while.” I kissed Mori on the cheek and left him on his own with the guests who were shouting with newfound excitement. While crossing the room to find my friends, I was stopped by a student who looked even more princely than Tamaki. He introduced himself as Nekozawa.  _ The cloak guy? I guess the room’s dimly lit enough… _

“I haven’t had the chance to properly congratulate you and Morinozuka on your engagement.” He placed a rose and a small cat charm in my hand. “Beelzenef and I wish you many years of happiness.”  _ Uh… Okay?  _

I grinned and placed his gifts into my purse. “Thank you.”

Throughout the night, shenanigans ensued. Lines were formed to say goodbye to the departing hosts, and there were quite a few guys who lined up to say goodbye to me, too. All hugs from them turned into awkward handshakes as Mori began hovering by my side. Later, Tamaki had decided it wouldn’t be a real party without a karaoke competition. Kyoya looked pained. I laughed and looked around. Everyone, even in their formal wear, was dancing and laughing and singing. It felt like a real party. Not like one of those stuck up events where you have to be the proper upstanding rich kid. It was really just a bunch of teenagers enjoying a last hurrah. 

The twins tapped on my shoulders when I was taking a break by the hors d’oeuvres table. “You’re up, senpai.” I frowned a little and set my drink down.  _ This is really it, huh?  _ The boys led me to the front of the room, stood me in front of a borrowed podium, and gave me a microphone. 

“Hey everyone.” The mic rang and people’s heads turned. “Sorry.” I held it a little further from myself and took a deep breath. “I was named, two days ago, the club’s leading lady.” There was an upset shout in the back from who I assume was Renge. “I never expected that. I never expected to come this far. To come here. This year at Ouran Academy, and with the Host Club more specifically, has changed my world view. I gotta admit. I started at the very bottom. I came in, made a mess, and got on the bad side of a lot of people. But I want to thank each and every one of you, even if you still don’t like me or I don’t like you. To the girls who started as a fan club and became my friends, thank you for sticking with me. And to the boys who were my guests, thank you for keeping Takashi on his toes. Thank you Benio, for your insane fangirls who ran me out of St. Lobelia. Tamaki, you’ve made me smile every day since I pinned you to the ground.” That got a laugh. “Hikaru and Kaoru, your ideas have meant so much to me. You’re outrageous and creative devils. Haruhi, thank you for being normal. You’re the real glue that holds this place together. Kyoya, I’m not sure if we’re friends or not, I’d like to say we are, though. I know my days would be more boring without your sarcasm and wit. Hunny, I hope we keep eating cake together, there’s no one I’d rather do it with. And Takashi, thank you for being a great guide. I never could’ve made it through this past year without you. You’re all incredible people. And the Host Club is a special place. Cherish this club and the time you have with each host and fellow guest. If you think this club is only a playground for the rich and beautiful with too much time on their hands, you’re wrong. This club is a lifestyle, and it’s a family. And to be honest, it’s one I’m not ready to leave behind. But I know that this club will continue to be great, and so will all of you. I wish you farewell, Ouran High School Host Club.” 

I bowed my head and felt tears threatening to fall. There was cheering all around the room.  _ I did it.  _ I felt someone pull me into a hug, and I saw through bleary eyes that it was Haruhi. “You have to promise you’ll come to visit me and my dad. You can’t leave me alone with these idiots.” I realized they were crying a little too, but they still smiled. 

“Hey!” Two more pairs of arms joined the hug.

“Who are you calling idiots?”

“You’re lovable idiots. All of you. Handsome, rich, idiots.” I corrected.

“I guess we can live with that. Right, Kaoru?”

“WHY ARE YOU TOUCHING MY LITTLE GIRL!?”  _ Uh oh. Tamaki spotted the four of us. _

The last week of school (and club) passed. Real graduation came and everyone stood like perfect little dolls in front of their parents and teachers. I teared up again, thinking about new beginnings. I said goodbye to my teachers and shook hands with some classmates. Afterward, I ran straight for Mori and jumped into his arms. I hid my face in his shoulder. “Takashi, I’m not ready to leave. I feel like I just got here.” He held me tight and nodded.

“Don’t worry, (Y/N)-chan!” Hunny walked up to our side. “We’ll be back in the music room in two weeks, right?”

“Right.” I pulled myself from Mori’s arms and resorted to only holding his hand. “I can’t think of a better place for a wedding.”


	25. Last Minute Freedom and Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Benio steals (Y/N) away for a day.

There was a strong breeze outside, and it was still a little chilly. Spring had just begun and the sakura trees were beginning to bud. I hadn’t gotten to see them the previous year. It was halfway through May when I arrived at the school. 

I brushed my hair behind my ear anxiously. Graduation was a week ago, but there I was, back at the front gates of Ouran Academy. All Host Club activities were shut down for the next week as we prepared for the wedding that was to take place in Music Room #3. Headmaster Suoh was more than happy to offer up the space, exclaiming that weddings were a wonderful, beautiful, romantic thing and how it’d be an honor to host one in his own school. I saw the resemblance between him and his son almost immediately in the way they both ramble about things they think are beautiful and precious.

Even though we’d discussed it a few months before, Kyoya seemed much more reluctant about the use of the club room than the headmaster had. Like the businessman he’d been forced to become, he worried about how a week of the club being on standby would affect profits. He said that of course, they’d save money without having to pamper guests for said time, but no guests also meant no income. I laughed over his anguish. Not to be mean or make fun of him, but because I hadn’t expected anything less of him.

The club room looked barren, like a completely different place. All the couches and tables had been delicately placed against the walls or in other rooms. And I was alone. I laughed in the empty room, spinning in circles and dancing across the floor. _What a magical place…_ That room held so many precious memories. The year I’d spent at Ouran Academy was the best of my life, I was sure of that. 

I got my notebook out of the bag I had brought with me and started making a rough sketch of the room, adding little doodles of where I wanted certain decorations. I still hadn’t made a seating chart. Granted, it was going to be a small wedding. I listed off the guests in my head. _There are my parents, and Takashi’s parents and brother. Then there are the hosts, Haruhi’s dad, Benio and Miranda, and the ten girls who started out as my fan club. I also can’t forget Sophie, Lewis, and Jenny. Also, Headmaster Suoh, which was not my decision._ I chewed on my pencil and tried to think if I had missed anyone.

I startled with a shout when I felt arms around my waist. “Takashi,” I laughed, “You scared me.”

“Guess again, sweetheart.” I turned around and smiled.

“Benio! What are you doing here?” She put her hands on her hips disapprovingly “Scratch that, I know what you’re doing here. I mean why are you here _now_? School isn’t even out for Ouran yet.”

Benio smirked. “Perks of being a Zuka Club queen.” It was my turn to frown at her. She sighed. “I wanted to steal you away before those boys got to you. I rarely get you to myself anymore. It just isn’t fair, (Y/N).” She pouted and took my hand.”

She was right. Lately, my life had been all about my new friends in the host club. When I hung out with Benio, the girls were always there, or at least Haruhi was. I let Benio drag me out of the club room and down the halls. A few people gave us weird looks, and I just grinned. “So where are you taking me exactly?” She didn’t say anything. We were almost out the door when Benio ran me past Mori and Hunny, who were coming in to help with preparations. I handed Mori my notebook on our way out and shrugged. Benio’s ride was already pulled up at the front entrance of the school. 

“Tonight’s your last free night as a woman. With me at least.” 

I grinned. “I’m in.”

Our afternoon started out at a tea parlor. I hadn’t been to one since before I met Mori. The walls were a soothing pale purple and every table was covered in a white table and decorated with lilacs and tulips. The whole place smelled earthy and warm. We were sat down at a table in a secluded corner. After we had been attended to, a dark smile graced Benio’s lips. _Whatever she’s about to say, it can’t be good for me._ “So, is it true that you and your fiancé got busy in the club room?”

If I had taken a drink of my tea, I definitely would have spit it out. “Kyoya told you!?”

“Oh, so it is true. How naughty, (Y/N).” She giggled behind her hand. “I expected nothing less from you.”

“What do you mean by that?” The tips of my ears burned and I sunk down into my chair. I sipped at my tea and avoided eye contact with Benio. I didn’t like the mischievous glint in her eye. She leaned forwards on her elbows.

“So how did it happen? Did he just get a bug in his belt or something?”

“He… why are we talking about this now? Is this really an appropriate place to do this?” If I was being honest with myself, I didn’t want to talk about it with her any time or anywhere. Benio didn’t bring it up again.

Instead, she started asking about wedding plans. The only people who knew all the details of the event were Mori, my mother, my notebook, and I. I told her about the colors I picked and the other members of the wedding party. She asked what Hunny’s relationship to Mori was. She couldn’t imagine how he got the place of best man over Mori’s own brother. _Now that I think about it, that is kind of weird. I wonder how his brother feels about that._ Benio also queried about the other guests. I told her how Headmaster Suoh had invited himself on the premise that it was his building so he should be allowed to witness the “beauteous ceremony between his students.” I also told her that Haruhi’s dad would be attending and that she’d absolutely love him. She asked why, but I told her she would just have to wait and see. _I think she’s seen him once before, but she didn’t really meet him. He said he’d be in full makeup at the wedding, but not so much so as to take away from the beauty of the bride. I love that man._

After tea, we headed to a spa where we got the full package. Mud baths, massages, manicures, pedicures, hair washing, and trimming. We were there for hours. It was exhausting in a really relaxing way. During that time, I asked her how things were going with Miranda. She blushed easily whenever she was brought up. It made me happy to think that Benio had someone who was truly special to her like Mori was to me. She talked nonstop about shopping with Miranda and going on dates with her. Much to my surprise, Benio expressed to me that their first kiss actually happened during the host club’s beach trip.

The sun had set by the time we had left the spa and we spoiled ourselves with greasy burgers and fries from a fast-food joint on the way home. We went back to Benio’s house after that. In her room, I realized I had nothing to change into, but Benio handed, me a nightgown I thought that I had lost. _I apparently just left it at her place one night. How does that even happen? I must’ve been in a rush._ We watched movies with happily ever afters until the early hours of the morning. The tv was emitting a dull glow in the dark room as we finished our last movie.

I turned on my side and frowned at Benio.

“What’s on your mind, (Y/N)?”

I looked her in the eyes, then up at the ceiling. The sheets rustled around me as I squirmed, trying to find the words. “I don’t know if I want to get married on Saturday. I mean, we just graduated from high school. What if… what if we’re going too fast Benio?”

She scoffed and I winced at her reaction. “You’re ridiculous.” I shot up in surprise and gawked at her. “Do you know how many teens are in arranged marriages and do the same thing you two are doing? You’re lucky though because you’re marrying for love. You and Morinozuka are a match made in heaven. I couldn’t think of a better person for you, or even just a better couple. I have no doubt that you two will be together forever. You two started your forever the moment that you met. The dreams and the dates and the happy times don’t stop just because you put a ring on it. Look at your parents. They’re happy and they have fun together. They have different jobs and responsibilities. Their schedules and interests don’t always match. But they’re still finding time for each other. Just because you’re growing, just because high school has ended and you’re looking at attending university or starting your duties as the heir to your father’s company, doesn’t mean you’ll lose what you have. I don’t think you’re moving too fast. I think you’re focusing too much on the label and not enough on the relationship.”

I couldn’t think of anything to respond with, but I felt better. I felt ready. There was a sudden excitement within me because I knew she was right. _Takashi and I are forever._

We woke up late in the morning tangled in each other and the sheets. Laughter ensued when I fell out of bed trying to get out of the mess. I had breakfast with Benio and then I was off. I had things to get done. The wedding was in four days. _I hope Takashi used my notebook well._ It wasn’t that I didn’t expect anything of Mori, it’s just that I didn’t have faith that my notes were legible or intelligible. To my surprise, there was a purple carpet laid out from one of the backrooms to the center of the room where a beautiful white archway had been constructed. It was decorated with the same fairy lights that had been used at the graduation party. There were white pews set up on either side of the runway with little sticky notes all over them showing names in the twins rushed handwriting.

In the backroom that the carpet led to, everyone’s dresses were hung on individual racks and there was a wide floor mirror set up in the corner. There were boxes with the veil and jewelry by the mirror, and I smiled at it all. Everything was coming along beautifully. _Just a few more days until my happily ever after and a glorious new beginning._

  
  



	26. You May Now Kiss Kiss Fall in Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The wedding is finally here!

If someone had told me a year ago, that I’d married the love of my life surrounded by a large group of friends of my own in a school club room, I would have said that they were mistaken. I was the hermit of St. Lobelia. I had one real friend. Dating wasn’t on my list of priorities. I was ready to get my diploma and start working under my mom and dad. My life was boring. 

And then I met Takashi Morinozuka. I became loud and proud and emotional. _Eek._ It took a while, but I eventually drowned in friends and my boyfriend became my everything. It was paradise; a life I never wanted to leave. I got pretty much everything I never knew I wanted.

And now I was in a wedding dress having my hair pinned up by Sophie while Benio fixed my makeup. I’d cried a few times in joy and she’d had to restart the process several times. I could tell that she was annoyed but she smiled anyway because it was my wedding day. Haruhi paced back and forth behind me, momentarily fixing my extremely lengthy veil or making sure that my bouquet was alright. They seemed almost more nervous than I was. The three of them were in their dresses and they all looked lovely. Haruhi had seemed a little shy and uncomfortable in it. They told me they’d never worn something so pretty and expensive. Benio and I laughed and told them that they looked like they belonged in it. Seeing Haruhi blush was rare. 

“How’s everyone feeling?” Sophie asked. 

The question was phrased to address everyone in the room, but the girls all directed their attention towards me. I was lost in my own eyes. I couldn’t stop staring at the big purple and white ballgown that was hugging my figure. The way the pale pink jewelry twinkled distracted me. My veil was tucked into a similarly decorated tiara and my eyes caught on the way it flowed down my back and over the floor.

“(Y/N)?” Benio poked me in the cheek, careful not to mess up her hard work. I giggled and swished my skirt around.

“I’m good. Better than good. I’m great. Is it bad that I’m not really nervous? I mean, of course, I’m nervous. This is only the biggest day of my life to date. I’m only standing in front of everyone I love and who loves me to pour my heart out to the one I love the most. There’s absolutely nothing to be worried about, right?” I gasped for breath after all that jumbled out of my mouth. Benio took my hands and looked at me with a frown on her face.

“It’s okay to be nervous, (Y/N). It’s a big day.” Sophie placed her hand gently on my shoulder. “It’s your big day. And we’re here. We’re going to stand up there with you.”

“Naturally, you’ll have the spotlight,” Benio interrupted, ”but you won’t be on stage alone, sweetheart.” Haruhi only nodded in agreement. 

I pulled the three of them into a hug only to be snagged back. “No wrinkling the dress, senpai!” The twins were standing behind me. _I didn’t even hear them come in._ They had helped pick out the dress, so I thought it was natural to invite them to help me get ready when the day came. 

“Yeah, sorry we’re late.” Hikaru didn’t look very sorry as he said it. He looked more annoyed. “The boss was yammering on about walking his little girl down the aisle today or something like that.”

Haruhi facepalmed. I giggled. “But don’t worry,” Kaoru continued,” Kyoya-senpai knocked some sense into him and made sure he knew today was about you. You look beautiful, senpai.” I blushed and snickered as the boys sidled over to Haruhi. “You should wear dresses more often Haruhi.”

Haruhi looked so done and shoved the twins away, but not harshly. Haruhi looked up with a grin. The twins’ eyes widened. “You guys are such idiots.” We all shared a laugh while Hikaru and Kaoru stood there perplexed by Haruhi’s reaction. 

We were brought out of it by a pounding on the door, followed by a desperate call. “Daddy wants to see his little girl in her dress!” The exclamation ended short with another thud and an angry retort.

“Get a hold of yourself, Tamaki!”

“Yes, Mommy.”

We didn’t hear them again after that, but our laughter turned into cackling between gasps. I looked up at the ceiling, trying to steady my breathing. _I’m so glad we have Kyoya. I don’t know what powers he has over Tamaki, but I’m glad he does._ “I still don’t get their mommy-daddy dynamic. It’ll never not be entertaining though.”

“Yeah, I can see Kyoya-senpai as sort of a mother hen who takes care of us all, but I only see Tamaki-senpai as the boss.”

Hikaru continued his brother’s thought. “I think out of any of us, Mori-senpai would be the best father.”

I blushed and hid my face at the thought. _Having kids is something that’s passed through my brain, but I haven’t really ever thought about it. Does he even want kids? Do I even want kids?_ The twins shrugged and started their work like they hadn’t said anything profound or obscene. Benio smiled at me. Not her usual devilish, suggesting smirk, but a kind, hopeful smile. She always seemed to know what I was thinking.

I looked at the clock. _Only two hours until showtime._ The twins were _very_ thorough with their work. They came in with a freaking clipboard. My dress was fluffed out several times and the boys held heavy criticism for the work that Benio did on my face. She huffed in annoyance but made the changes that the boys suggested. I had looked good with what Benio had done, but the boys’ input made me look even better. I grinned and clapped my hands together. They smoothed out any and all creases on my dress and veil and then moved onto the girls. Hikaru provided each girl with a little flower hairpin that matched the purple on my dress. I asked the twins if I could see the rings, and they told me no. I held my power as the bride over them, and they still said no. _Brats._

Finally, the bells tolled, telling us it was time to go. My mother and father came into the room and lightly embraced me under the twins’ glare. Dad was a blubbering mess. Mom pat him on the arm and kissed my forehead. She wished me luck. I listened to the piano coming through the doors. Tamaki had offered to play, but someone _(I don’t know who)_ pointed out that if he wasn’t a groomsman then he couldn’t walk Haruhi down the aisle. Eventually, the boys came in to take the girls out. Benio and Hunny went first and I couldn’t help but smile. They held hands instead of linking arm in arm because Benio was too tall. Next was Satoshi, who bowed to Sophie, and then they were off. Then Tamaki came in crying just like my father and walked Haruhi down the aisle. 

I heard the bridal march start and Dad kissed my hand. The twins held the doors open and we walked out. I smiled across the room, looking around at all the people who had shown up. Mom and Ranka were dabbing at their eyes with tissues and all my friends were stiff with anticipation. Headmaster Suoh smiled at me and Mori’s father nodded his head at me. When I locked eyes with Mori, his mouth was hanging open. The wait was worth it. I felt proud, and I was gushing with joy. I wanted to run and jump into his arms, but I continued my stride alongside my father.

At the end of the walk, my father and Mori shared a small smile, and I grinned up at my about-to-be husband. He smiled softly back at me. My eyes were already teary and he brushed them away with his thumb. “You look beautiful.”

“And you look very handsome.” His suit was cream and his shirt under was cherry blossom pink. He had told me it was similar to a suit Tamaki had made the hosts wear one time, except in this case, his tie was a deep purple to match my dress. “I love you,” I whispered.

“I love you too,” he whispered back.

If I was completely honest with myself, I zoned out for most of the wedding. I was lost in Mori’s eyes. He eventually pulled away, and I didn’t realize why until he cleared his throat nervously. _His vows._

“(Y/N), you know I’m not good with words, but I want you to know that I mean every one of these. I’m better when I’m with you. You make my life more interesting. I’ve never met a girl with so much pride and that’s something I admire in you. I tend to be withdrawn, I know that, but you speak up and speak out. You’re… wild, sometimes.” He blushed and rubbed the back of his neck as he continued. “But I want my life to continue to be interesting, and that can’t happen without you in it. I don’t think I could live in a world where you wouldn’t be around the corner waiting for me. And I want you to know I’ll always be here, waiting for you. Waiting for the next adventure or mess that we get into.” He pushed my ring onto my finger. I smiled at it, and then up at him. His words meant so much to me. Too much.

I wrung my hands and glanced away from him. I flipped his ring over in my palm. Tears started forming in my eyes again. “You are a gateway to everything I love, Takashi. Because I met you, I went to places I never want to leave, met people I never want to forget, and did things I don’t think I _can_ forget.” I laughed to myself. “You awakened dreams in me, and I can never thank you enough for that. I believe in myself now. I have the strength to stand knowing you’ll be by my side. I know I’m a troublemaker. I’m a high maintenance girl, but I think you already know that. I just ask that, like you always are, be patient with me because I plan on us being together forever, and forever is a long time to put up with each other. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. I hope I get us into several more adventures and messes. There’s no one I’d rather experience them with.” I slipped his ring onto his finger and he smiled. His eyes were a little watery too.

The rest of the common vows were said, and then came the "I do's", and the best part: "You may now kiss the bride!”

I kissed my husband. _Husband… I like it, but it’ll take some getting used to._ He swung me off the ground a little bit as the crowd cheered over a kiss that was probably a little more than what they bargained for. I laughed and snuggled myself into his arms as people threw flower petals at us and all over each other. And as I ran back down the aisle with my husband at my side, I realized everyone was right, I had nothing to worry about. I was happy.

  
  



	27. Rambunctious Reception

“MAY THIS AWKWARD COUPLE FOREVER BE BLESSED!” That was the extent of Tamaki’s toast. I remembered him saying it to me once before and I snorted laughing. _Not very ladylike, I know, but he almost fell trying to get off the table he had decided to stand on._

The reception was a mess, as I had expected it would be. There was, of course, Tamaki and his toast. Then Hunny, who managed to sneak cake before Mori and I could cut it. He looked sorry, but not as sorry as he should have been with the frosting stuck to his lower lip. Benio finally got the chance to meet Haruhi’s dad (in full makeup) and they were about as obnoxiously radiant as you’d expect them to be together. They got even more vibrant once Ranka let slip that his wife had also been a part of St. Lobelia’s Zuka Club.

Our first dance went well. It was perfect actually. We performed the steps like we were supposed to for the adults, but we still got the time to just sway in each others’ arms. Then I danced with my father, who continued to cry happy tears throughout the entire thing. The dance floor opened up after that. There were fast and slow songs. Tamaki, the twins, and Ranka all fought over who should get Haruhi’s first dance, but I took Haruhi out to the dance floor before any of the guys could get to them. They didn’t really complain. I saw Benio with Miranda on the dance floor, and Sophie with Lewis.

One highlight of the evening was watching Jenny smack Tamaki’s father after he offered her a rose and some words that I didn’t quite hear. Another was my dance with Benio. We were offbeat and horrible, but we kept dancing. 

There was also the food fight, which the twins supposedly did _not_ start, but I’ll never buy that. Mori took a full flying slice of cake to the chest to keep my dress from getting ruined. I tried to stifle my laugh, but it didn’t work. “Babe, that frosting makes you look extra delicious. Don’t tease me.” He blushed, and after hearing my own words I was kind of glad that everyone else was too preoccupied with not getting caked. Eventually, Mori also got involved in the mess, but only because Hunny asked to ride on his shoulders for an advantage. He came back with no extra cake on him, to my surprise. _Never underestimate the swift movements of the Morinozukas and Haninozukas._ I got through the night with cake only getting on and into my mouth.

I danced with each host eventually. I think I had the most fun dancing with Kyoya; he was very good at it. Mori-senpai is a very lucky man, he had told me. I smiled. “I’m sure you’ll find someone as great as me someday.” I dropped my head and laughed at the floor. “You know Renge’s always waiting.” He scoffed and almost walked off but I tightened my grip on him and kept dancing. He smiled after that.

The biggest event of the night was Lewis’ toast. “I met Morinozuka before he was dating (Y/N). He seemed like a good man, and I’m glad to see it holds true. Your dedication to each other is truly inspiring. I want nothing more than to have something like the two of you have.” He had walked across the room and smiled down at the girl sitting there. “That’s why I must ask:” He got down on one knee. “Sophie, I love you. Will you marry me?” I’m not going to lie, I screamed even before she said yes. And then she said yes, and I ran as fast as my dress would let me. I enveloped her in a hug after Lewis put the ring on her finger and she pulled away from him.

“Lewis! You sly dog!” My father called. Everyone clapped for the second happy couple of the night.

The sun had been asleep for at least an hour or two by the time that had happened and I was tired. Mori found me at a back table and sat next to me. He took my hand and kissed my knuckles. “You ready to go?” I leaned into his shoulder and nodded. I was tired, but I knew the night was far from over. Everyone was still running rampant, chaos still ensued, but that didn’t matter. I was in my husband’s arms. The world could roar and run on, but with Mori by my side, I had the silence I needed.

_The End._


End file.
